


Unknown Future

by FunkyMonk19



Series: Temptations of the Dark [1]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff and Smut, Forced Relationship, Hidden Scars, Hijinks & Shenanigans, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Inner Dialogue, Internal Conflict, Kidnapping a Zygerrian is never a good idea, Light Angst, Loss of Limbs because it's Star wars, Mind Control, Minor Original Character(s), Multi, Nature Versus Nurture, Night Terrors, Nightsister magic, Past Relationship(s), Past Torture, Possessive Behavior, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Shameless Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-08-28 01:10:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 48,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8424760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FunkyMonk19/pseuds/FunkyMonk19
Summary: Shit doesn't go as planned when Maul and Savage kidnap a Zygerrian Jedi - Discontinued until further notice





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a heads up this story doesn't follow the main story line of the show.
> 
> Quick Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Star Wars Characters only this story and OC's

Charra bolted up right with a loud gasp, her reflexes and instincts on high alert when she realized she was alone, she forced herself to calm down and get a hold of herself.

_Panicking never solved anything, only with a calm mind can plans be made._ She told herself.

After calming her racing heart, she took in her surroundings, judging from the small containers and the large crate she was sitting on she was in a storage room. How did she end up here and damn it where was her Light saber? The last thing she could recall was being on patrol with another Jedi.

X X X

Charra squinted for a moment before looking through a set of binoculars, becoming aware of the presence of another Jedi and the Clone Trooper Commander that went by the name of Dex.

"See anything?" The other Jedi asked, standing beside the blue/gray furred Zygerrian.

"No, and that's what worries me," Charra replied, lowering the binoculars. "I never liked the jungle, too many places for the enemy hide and set ambushes."

"That could also work to our advantage." The other Jedi pointed out.

"Don't worry, Generals, those Clankers won't get the best of us." The Commander boldly stated.

Charra smiled a little before returning the binoculars to the Clone Commander.

"General Trig and I will check in on the scouts and see if they found anything."

"Of course, Commander." Charra replied before swatting away an insect with an annoyed sigh.

On top of the humidity, the bugs irritated her the most, they would simply not leave her alone. As much as she wanted to, she ignored the urge to smash it. She had a job to do and killing annoying native bugs wasn't one of them.

X X X

_"General Chell, the scouts have reported in. They seemed to have found some sort of settlement, but it looks deserted."_ Dex said over COMMs.

"Hold position, I'll be there in a moment." Charra replied.

_"Yes, General."_

Charra deactivated her comlink before heading off to meet up with the Clone Troopers under hers and Trig's command.

"Are you alright? You look a little winded." Korra Trig asked.

"I'm alright, it's the heat." Charra replied, panting slightly.

Korra gave her a long searching looking before walking off to speak to Dex.

Before joining the four armed Jedi, Charra glanced around the clearing, it was too small to be an actual settlement as there were only three smallish buildings and another that looked like a shed.

"This place looks deserted." Dex stated as Charra joined them.

"Did you check to be sure?"

"Boggz and Vex are on it."

Charra gave him a curt nod then turned to Korra as the Clone Commander walked away when she felt a twinge in the Force.

The female Besalisk gave her a small nod, letting her Zygerrian friend know she had also felt it before subtly reaching for one of her duel bladed sabers. She ignited one of the ends just in time to block a strike from a Zabrak with red and black markings on his face, arms and torso. However, the most striking feature on this Zabrak was that of his robotic animal like legs.

Charra went to help, only to leap away at the last second in order to avoid being hit by a giant. The second she was on her feet, she ignited her saber, the purple hue of his blade made her eyes look more dark lavender then silver-green.

The giant turned out to be another Zabrak, only this one had yellow and black markings. In his hand was a duel bladed saber after igniting the weapon, he charged with a bellow.

His strikes were powerful, calculating, and surprisingly fast for someone his size. His attacks kept Charra on the defensive unable to strike back.

The Clones couldn't risk firing without hitting Charra and Trig, they would have to wait for an opening.

Things became even crazier when battle droids emerged from the jungle undergrowth. The lead droid appeared confused at first then ordered its troops to fire, it was chaos after that.

Charra was forced to one knee as she blocked another of the large Zabrak's strikes.

With two Sabers, Trig seemed to be holding her own against the red and black male. So why was she having such a hard time with the large male?

When Charra saw an opening in her opponents defenses, she didn't take it instead she leaped back, panting hard.

_Damn heat._ She panted then flinched away to avoid a blaster bolt from a droid.

_Stay focused._ She could almost hear her old Master's berating tone in her mind.

She took a moment took a moment to compose herself before returning her attention back to the yellow and black male who was watching with quiet intensity.

She bared her small fangs in a silent snarl before charging, letting her Zygerrian blood help her in this fight.

'This male will submit to me.' Her Zygerrian growled as their sabers clashed in a shower of sparks.

X X X

Charra grunted softly as her back hit the side of one of the buildings, her left upper arm stinging from the strike from the larger male's saber. The strike had only been a graze but it hurt nonetheless.

She glanced down at her wound then towards the large Zabrak, her Zygerrian was impressed by him.

'He's quite the duelist.' The Zygerrian stated with a smirk.

'Yes, his skills are impressive,' The Jedi side agreed. 'However, we must remain focused on the task at hand.'

'Yes, yes,' The Zygerrian sighed. 'Can't we just play with him a little?'

The heat was starting to get to Charra again and it made it difficult for her to remain focused.

'No time, we must end this before we succumb to heat stroke.'

"Agh!"

Charra turned and saw Korra Trig on one knee, one of her four arms lying on the ground. Her remaining upper arm clutching the stump of her severed limb.

"Savage!" The red and black male snarled. "We must finish this now!"

He then raised his saber to finish of the Besalisk female only to be hit by a strong Force Push from the Zygerrian.

Charra rushed to her friend’s aid only to be hit in the back of the head with a blunt object, she was out before she hit the ground.

X X X

"Well, that would certainly explain the head ache and my missing saber... Great." Charra commented with a soft slightly annoyed sigh.

She glanced down at her right arm to see that the sleeve had been ripped off, only a few inches of the sleeve remained. Her eyes narrowed curiously upon noticing that the wound she had received from the saber had been tended and bandaged.

'What's one more scar?' Her Zygerrian side commented.

'That's all well and good but we need to get moving and find Korra and the Clones.' Her Jedi replied.

She slid off the large crate and had to dig her claws into it upon feeling lightheaded. She growled softly in annoyance when the room finally stopped spinning.

Once everything stopped spinning, she glanced around and probed with the Force making sure she was alone before losing her cloth belt and reaching into her pants where she felt the cool handle of a light saber trapped snuggly to her thigh.

She silently thanked Obi-Wan for suggesting a backup light saber when they were Padawan learners once upon a time. She softly cleared her throat as she fixed her attire before quietly heading for the door. She needed to her men and see if Korra was all right or even if she was still alive, she needed to know.

Before reaching the door, she slid the spare light saber up her sleeve then opened the door.

X X X

"She's awake," Savage rumbled as he stood on the roof of the building with Maul. "I don't understand, brother, why didn't we just kill her?"

Maul was silent for moment before finally speaking. "What do you know about Zygerrians?"

"Only that they're slavers."

"Yes, that is a given, but there is more to them then that. They're ruled by a monarchy either by a king or queen."

Savage raised an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with her?"

Maul looked calmly at the larger Zabrak, a small smirk reached his face. "All Zygerrians are attracted to strength and power, females more then males. And we just happen to have one under our feet."

Savage still didn't quite understand Maul's reasoning, the Zygerrian was still a Jedi and considering his brother's vendetta against them keeping one alive was a waste of time. Just kill her now and be done with it, but was he was curious about his brother's plan.

"What do you suggest we do?"

"By using her own Zygerrians instincts against her, I believe we can turn her against the Jedi."

"And how do we go about doing that?"

"As I said, her species is attracted power and strength, and you, my apprentice radiate both."

Savage could only stare dumbfounded at Maul who simply smirked.

"Can't we just kill her instead?"

X X X

Charra cautiously stepped out into the open, she scanned the area around her, noting that jungle appeared the same.

_Good, I'm still on this hot and bug infested planet._ She thought with minor relief.

Although, she had to admit the cool breeze was a welcomed relief to the irritating heat.

As she took a step forward, she caught a semi-familiar scent on the wind, it drew the attention of her Zygerrian.

'Focus,' Her Jedi warned. 'This is the scent of danger.'

'I know,' The Zygerrian purred. 'Danger and power.'

The Jedi gave an exasperated sigh then felt a sudden flare in the Force. 'Move!'

Charra quickly leaped forward just as something heavy landed where she had stood only moments before. She whipped out her light saber and ignited the blade, carving a half circle into the ground as she twisted around to face her attacker.

It was that damned yellow and black Zabrak, however, he did appear confused by the appearance of the green bladed saber in her hand.

Charra didn't bother fighting back as even her Jedi was pleased by this. Said smirk faltered then fell when the second Zabrak landed a few yards away. She glanced over at the second male then at the jungle and wondered if she should make a run for it, perhaps she could somehow separate them. Maybe even take them on one at a time, but by the looks of the red and black Zabrak's animal like robot legs, she doubted she'd get 20ft before being cut down.

However, instead of attacking, the red and black male just pacing like a caged animal.

The sound of a saber being ignited drew Charra's attention back to the larger male who gave his duel bladed weapon a little when her attention was back him.

'Oh, he wants to play,' Her Zygerrian gave an excited purr.

'Stay calm and remain focused,' Her Jedi replied. 'It's obvious these two are up to something.'

The Zygerrian snorted. 'Why cares? He wants to play, let’s not keep him waiting.'

Charra's eyes became greener then as her Zygerrian blood and instincts took control. She smirked a little when the larger male felt her shift through the Force. She got his attention by giving one of his blades a little almost playful tap with her own.

Their duel was more of a dance then an actual fight. Blows were struck, parried, and blocked in a series of sparks as they ducked, twirled and flipped.

Charra flipped out of the way to dodge a strike that she felt would have missed her anyway. Probably by a mile.

'He has little to no technique,' The Jedi observed. 'He just swings his weapon like a club.'

'As if it matters, I'm having fun. Can't you feel his power? His strength?'

'Enough, this farce must end, we must escape and find Korra and the clones.' The Jedi calmly but firmly pointed out.

The Zygerrian growled in irritation, knowing the Jedi was right.

X X X

Savage instantly noticed the change in the Zygerrian; her eyes changed even the playfulness in her posture had changed. He glanced over at Maul, he too had noticed the shift in the female's behavior.

If this plan of Maul's was to work, they would to recapture her before she tired to escape their grasp.

Charra's eyes narrowed as her inner tactician surveyed the situation.

_"The red Zabrak is far enough away for a three strike attack on the larger male. Together they're dangerous, separately however, it's the red male that poses the biggest threat."_

Charra's sudden attack caught the larger male off guard, but he managed to block her strikes. The third strike broke through the male's defensives, leaving him opening for a killing strike.

However, a kick to the chest and a powerful Force Push tossed the yellow and black male into the building that once held the Jedi.

Rapid footsteps drew her attention and she had just enough time to block a strike from the red and black male. They proceeded to exchange several blows, giving little to no ground before Charra used an opening to make a break for it.

The robotic-legged Zabrak seemed to anticipate this as he ran after, swiftly catching up with her due to his longer strides, without breaking said strides he leaped over and landed like a cat in her path, forcing the Jedi to stop and backtrack a few steps, putting some distance between them.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist, pinning her arms to her sides, forcing her to drop the light saber as her feet left the ground.

The smaller Zabrak smirked as strolled over to the now captive Zygerrian.

"You will submit, Jedi." He smoothly stated.

She snorted. "Sorry, but submission isn't in my vocabulary." With a snarl, she slammed the back of her head into the larger male's face.

The second her feet hit the ground, Charra grabbed her saber, barely having enough time to block the smaller Zabrak's strike before making another run for the jungle. She didn't get far before a large clawed foot slammed into her back, causing her to stumble then tumble as she tripped over her own damned feet. Coughing a little, she tried to push herself off the ground only to be forced back down by the same-clawed foot.

She growled menacingly before giving a soft involuntary gasp as something sharp pierced the side of her neck. She dug her claws into the ground in an attempt to force herself off the ground so she could attack, but the foot held firm, she gave a pained growl as the sharp toes dug into her back. Darkness clouded the edges of her vision before swiftly dragging her into unconsciousness.

X X X

Maul removed his foot from the Zygerrian's back and stepping back as Savage joined him, checking his nose to see if it was either broken or bleeding.

_Not bad for a first attempt._ He inwardly mused as Savage crouched down to gather the unconscious woman into his burly arms. Her head now resting against his chest

The second saber levitated and came to a rest in Maul's waiting hand, he briefly wondered where she had hidden it but decided it wasn't important. "Let's go, no doubt our scuffle drew the attentions of the Clone and Droid armies."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little backstory on Charra via audio recorder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that didn't did end well.
> 
> And just a heads up Charra doesn't have multiple personalities, she's a Jedi and a Zygerrian so she's going to have the instincts of both.
> 
> Quick Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Star Wars Characters only this story and OC's

Hours prior to kidnapping a Jedi, Maul and Savage had commandeered a Smugglers ship. It already been fueled, supplied, and ready to fly when the brothers took it with surprisingly minimum of bloodshed. Now they were using it to keep a low profile until an opportunity presented itself.

"Put her in the spare room," Maul said as the ramp shut behind them. "Lock it, so she can't escape. Check her person to make sure she can't call for help."

"I doubt she has anything else on her, we removed her communicator and sabers." Savage replied.

"Check anyway."

The large Zabrak watched as Maul continued down the hall, heading straight to his quarters, most likely going to meditate as he always did.

The door opened to the spare bedroom slid open at his approach, making sure to avoiding bashing the Jedi's head on the doorframe as he entered.

Reaching the bed, Savage gently laid her down upon it, before taking a step back when she gave a soft growl in her drug-induced sleep. He wasn't sure how long the tranquilizer Maul had injected her with would last; he would have to quick with his search.

He took a moment before respectively patting her down, he paused when he felt something in one of the pockets of her robes. He glanced at her face for a moment before reaching in and pulling out a small rectangular object, relatively the size of a bar of soap.

At first, he thought it was a Communicator of some kind until he touched the small screen and the options _'Play, Record,'_ and _'Audio Log Menu.'_

Curious now, Savage pressed _Menu_ and a list of entries filled the screen. Sitting on the edge of the desk, he hit play on the first log and blinked in surprise to hear the voice belonged to a child mostly 8 or 9 years old.

**Log 1:**   
_"Um, ok... We were given these audio recorder things to record our thoughts or something, I don't know I wasn't paying attention at the time. Ancestors, I just know that a few of the Younglings will just use theirs for random noises. What?"_

There were muffled voices on the other end followed shortly by a loud belch then giggles.

 _"Gross, Cazz! You didn't have to do that, save that for your recorder."_ More giggles from children in the background. _"Boys are gross, now how do I turn this thing off? Oh, there it is."_

Savage gave a soft snort of amusement before playing the second log.

**Log 2:**   
_"I wander if I could throw a ball hard enough to hit the ceiling, Obi-Wan, another Youngling says it's impossible as the ceiling is far too high for the ball to reach... I'm gonna try anyway."_

**Log 3:**   
_"Turns out Obi-Wan was right, luckily the innards of the ball was made with puff balls and didn't do any damage when it hit Master Yoda's head on the way down. The ball exploded on impact, sending puff balls everywhere... I'm gonna lay for a few days."_

On the next entry, Savage figured that Charra was 11 maybe 12 years old given the maturity of her voice, it was steadier, more focused.

**Log 4:**   
_"I have to admit, I'm a little jealous of Korra Trig, but I can understand needing two Light sabers when you have four arms. I wouldn't be surprised if Master Pong Krell chooses her as his Padawan considering they're the same species._

_"Speaking of which, who will teach me? As far as I know, I'm the first Zygerrian whose force-sensitive, am I even still eligible to become a Jedi even though I have my saber?"_

There was a long pause in the recording, Savage started to believe that the log had finished until he heard the sigh.

_"I guess I will just have to wait and see what the Force has planned for me."_

**Log 5:**   
_"Well, I was right, Master Pong Krell has chosen Korra as his Padawan, I just hope she doesn't turn out like him. Sure, he's a great and powerful Jedi and everything but he's such a dick. They seem like a good match though and I’m happy for her._

_"...I'm not gonna lie... I'm little worried for Obi-Wan and myself. We have yet to be chosen to become a Jedi's Padawan, if we're not chosen prior to our 13th year... I'd rather not think about it. I just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best."_

**Log 6**   
_"By my Ancestors, I have good news and... Surprisingly good news. The good news: Obi-Wan was chosen to be the Padawan of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. I don    't know much about him, but he seems like a good man._

_"As for the surprisingly good news: Jedi Master Count Dooku has chosen me as his Padawan."_

Savage blinked several times, taken aback. Had he heard that correctly? He hit rewind and listened carefully.

_"Jedi Master Count Dooku has taken me as his Padawan."_

As the entry continued, Savage' golden eyes drifted to the still unconscious form of the Zygerrian woman. He wasn't sure what sounded stranger; the fact that Dooku had been a Jedi or that the woman had once been his student.

He was vaguely aware that the entry was over, however, it didn't quite register until he noticed the silence. He took a moment to reign in his hatred of Dooku before selecting the next entry.

**Log 7:**   
_"I don't know what I hate more; the training exercise or Pong Krell for being an unreasonable ass? I know Dooku noticed the flaws in his plan, that scowl is hard to miss, why he stayed silent, I'll never know."_

There was a soft but recognizable growl of irritation before she continued.

_"All I did was slightly divert from Krell's plan and what did I get? A 45-minute monologue/lecture. I swear he loves the sound of his own voice, because when I tried to point something out; in a respectful manner I might add, he gets this offended look on his face._

_"He then goes on for another 15 minutes on how I've only recently become Padawan and know nothing of battle or battle tactics. I would have clocked him in that air sack he calls a throat if Dooku hadn't come back from whatever it was that he had been doing."_

Savage smirked a little bit, he could see her do just that. However, he couldn't help but wonder just how slightly she had diverted from this Pong Krell's plan.

His eyes shot up from the small screen when he heard a noise, after a moment or two of silence he figured it was from the ship, the damn thing was always making some sort of noise.

**Log 8:**   
_"I have never been this so-"_

Savage was taken completely by surprise when the device was kicked out of his hand and clattered to the floor, cutting the audio log off upon impact.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Savage looked up just in time to block a right hook from the Zygerrian Jedi before using the Force to put a little distance between them.

Charra stumbled into the wall, she immediately went on the defensive when he came for her. She dodged and blocked his punches and even managed to return a few of her own before managing to slip by him.

Before she could get behind him, Savage grabbed a hold of her arm and pinned her up against the wall, using his greater weight to immobilize her. He gave a deep suggestive growl before pressing up against her back.

'Oh!' Her Zygerrian purred with obvious delight. 'Someone wants to play.'

As though sensing this, he gave another rumbling growl deep in his chest before burying his nose into her neck and inhaling her scent.

"Tell me," He growled. "Just how 'slightly' did you divert from that fools plan?"

Charra turned her head to look him over her shoulder, one silver-green eye meeting his gold one.

"Oh, I went off the map," She grinned, eyes twinkling "He was so pissed."

Without warning, she pushed off the wall with help of the Force and at the same moment, clocked him in the side of the face with an elbow. The second she felt it connect, Charra turned to hit him again only have him seize her wrist and force her up against the wall again. One large hand trapping her wrists against her chest and held her there.

She bared her teeth and gave an animal like growl. "Careful, you get too close, I just might rip out your throat with my teeth."

"I somehow doubt that." Savage replied with a slight smirk.

"Oh, really? What makes you think that?" She countered, an eyebrow raised.

"The tearing of throats doesn't sound like something you Jedi would do."

She snorted before testing his grip on her wrists by tugging slightly, but a warning growl from the large Zabrak stopped her then she smirked.

"What about a Zygerrian Jedi?"

"I wouldn't know," He rumbled, leaning in a little more. "You're the first Zygerrian I've come across."

'This could certainly work to our advantage.' Her Jedi stated.

'Yes, we certain can and should!' Purred her Zygerrian.

'Not like that.'

Charra gave a slight purr before speaking. "Well, you and your brother are the first Zabraks I've meet outside the Order."

Savage smirked as he leaned in a little more, golden eyes smoldering. "Is that right?"

Charra could almost taste the power and strength coming off him, his close proximity overpowered the warnings her Jedi was giving off. She ignored every word as he claimed her mouth in a heated and hungry kiss, a kiss she was all too eager to return.

Once her hands were freed, she gripped his back, claws scrapping against armor. She wasn't even aware they had moved until she felt her back sink into the soft mattress of the bed.

The kiss became more frenzied as their tongues dueled for supremacy, Savage went to assert his dominance over her only to growl softly when he met with resistance.

Charra simply smirked up him. "Maybe next time, big guy."

Before he had a chance to respond, she used the Force to throw him off him and into the wall. Taking him by surprise gave Charra time to make a run for it. The door slid open but not by her hand but by Maul's who now stood between her and freedom.

He steadily met her gaze with his own, however, she could see the restrained rage simmering in his yellow and red eyes.

"Even if you somehow managed to get past me, Jedi, you can't escape." He stated with a deceptively calm voice.

"That's what escape pods for." She growled, ears back.

'He doesn't have his saber, but that doesn't make him any less dangerous,' Her Jedi observed. 'That being said, it might be best to chance it before the larger male regains consciousness.'

Having no other options, Charra charged forward, using the Force to enhance her speed before directing it at Maul, shoving him aside just enough to get past him.

She all but bounced off the wall before booking it down hall, however she didn't get far before an invisible hand seized her by the throat at the same moment her feet left the floor. She choked, gasping for air as she clutched at her throat, her heart racing as she heard Maul's clawed footfalls drawing closer and closer.

When the footfalls ceased and she could sense him just behind her, Charra expected to hear the familiar the sound of a light saber being ignited. That didn't happen, instead she felt her entire body slowly turn until she was face to face with Maul.

Despite the feeling of being choked, she managed a defiant snarl as she managed to rasp. "I-I'm not telling you shit."

She didn't know what frightened the Jedi more, the smile or the calm tone of his voice while his eyes told her something entirely different.

"It's not information I want from you, Jedi."

"My... Answer is still the same. I will tell you nothing... Nor will I submit."

Maul's smile turned predatory. "We shall see."

With a flick of his wrist, he sent her into the wall before releasing her and allowing the Jedi to crumble to the floor unconscious.

He gave a soft snort before turning away to check on Savage only to see his brother emerge from the room, his expression difficult to decipher.

"Perhaps next time," Maul coolly cautioned. "Don't let your d  
guard down."

Savage gave a slight growl. "Then how is this plan of yours going to work if I'm always on guard?"

Maul's eyes smoldered. "The real question, my apprentice, is should she ever get the chance will she take it and try to kill you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really Maul?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never pick fights with someone when you have a concussion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Star Wars Characters only this story and OC's

When Charra once again regained consciousness, she noticed that she was back the spare room and that her head was killing her, most likely a concussion. This would certainly slow her down for a few days, giving her plenty of time to plan her next escape attempt.

Slowly, she sat up and winced from the sharp pain it caused just by sitting up. She had been thrown into walls before, hell she had even thrown herself into walls but never with such power and strength.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed two pink pills in a small plastic cup next to a second cup filled with water on a nightstand.

If she had to guess, it was medication for her concussion thanks to Maul. However, she couldn't help feeling that these two little pills were for something nefarious.

~They need you alive for whatever they have planned,~ Her Jedi stated. ~There wouldn't be any point in trying to kill you.~

Still, when Charra reached over and picked up the cup with the pills, she gave it a long questioning sniff, she did the same with the water just to be safe. When she scented nothing poisonous, she downed the pills and water.

She took a chance by getting off the bed and standing up. She took a moment as the sudden vertigo made her head spin. She took even greater chance by walking over to retrieve the recorder from the corner where it had landed during the fight.

Charra had to use the wall to steady herself when a wave of nausea and dizziness hit upon straightening up.

"Damn it." She growled.

She stiffened when she felt a shift in the force moments before the door opened. She didn't turn around to see who it was, not in her current state. She wasn't in a Jedi mindset but in a Zygerrian, any sign of weakness on her part would only benefit the other.

"Is Korra Trig alive?" Charra asked, keeping her voice steady.

"The Besalisk?" It was the large male. "She's alive, despite missing a limb."

Rage simmered in her gut as a growl escaped her lips, her claws scraping against the wall. She ignored her Jedi’s warning about losing control over her emotions. She took a chance in her weakened state by turning around to face large yellow Zabrak, letting her Zygerrian instincts take over.

"Savage, is it?" He nodded once. "You had better watch your tone when you speak to me about Korra or her missing limb, because I will not hesitate to rip out yours and your brother's throat with my teeth."

Savage's eyes narrowed slightly at her threat, it seemed that despite being a Jedi, it did nothing to dampen her apparently violent and hostile Zygerrian nature.

If she was going to act this dangerous, he might as well just kill her now and be done with it. He could always lie and say that she had attacked him and during the skirmish, he had killed her in self-defense.

"It doesn't take a Jedi to see what you're thinking about." The woman coolly stated, drawing his attention.

Charra crossed her arms, leaned her hip against the desk, and smirked a little at his narrowed golden eyes.

"Your eyes and posture are a dead give away, so if you succeed in killing me, Maul will know the instant you start talking that you are lying."

Savage growled softly at her words, growing more irritable the smirk on her cat like face.

"But what would I know? Maul just might be stupid and crazy enough to buy what ever crap plan you can cook up in that pea sized brain of yours."

Charra knew she was pissing him off and that was what she wanted, she wanted him to lose control of his anger, he would be unfocused and attack in a blind rage. She just needed to twist the knife a little more to get him to snap.

"I have to say that Dooku's standards have certainly fallen considering he had you as his student," A deep threatening escaped the Zabrak, just a little more. "At least I past my padawan training under his trainings, just how long were you with him, three days?"

Savage roared in anger before charging into the room, playing right into the Jedi's hands in doing so.

Charra tore lose one of the drawers from the desk and bashed him in the side of his with it, forcing him to stumble into the bed. She came up behind him drawer raised over her head, only to be hit by one of his burly arms it was like getting hit by a tree!

She stumbled back into the wall, dropping the drawer in the process, she didn't have time to recover before a large hand wrapped around her throat and squeezed.

Savage bared his teeth in a snarl as he tightened his grip on the Zygerrian's throat with every intention of choking the life out of her. A pleased growl escaped him as she struggled to break his hold, he could smell her growing terror and it was delicious. Just a bit more pressure and her neck would snap.

"Savage."

Hearing Maul's voice broke through his blood lust but he kept a tight hold on Charra's throat.

"Let her go, Savage. Now." Maul's voice was calm but authoritative.

"We should just kill her now and be done with it," Savage snarled without taking his eyes off the Jedi. "It's barely been 24hrs. and she's already causing trouble."

"She's a Zygerrian, Savage. It's their nature, more so for her as she was Dooku's apprentice at one point."

The yellow Zabrak growled deep in his throat at the mention of Dooku, it took all his self-control not to snap her neck and be done with it.  
"Let her go, apprentice. I will not ask again."

Savage gave another rumbling growl before reluctantly releasing the Jedi’s throat and watched as she slid to the floor, gasping for air and coughing.

He could almost feel the heat of her barely restrained rage as she glared at him. To avoid any retaliation on her part, he stepped out of reach before walking away completely, leaving Maul alone with the Jedi.

"Be grateful, Jedi," Maul warned as turned his yellow eyes on her. "Next time, I’ll let him kill you."

"You do that," Charra rasped. "And whatever your plan is for me, goes up in smoke."

Maul growled softly. "Don't tempt me."

She attempted to growl back but ended up having a coughing fit.

"Consider what happened here your one and only warning." He advised before walking out and shutting the door behind him.

Charra growled as she heard the door lock, like that was going to stop her.

~Rest, you're in no condition for another half cocked escape attempt. In addition, goading Savage into attack was unwise.~ Her Jedi commented.

Her Zygerrian gave a dismissive snort. ~We could have taken him.~

~We should have used this time to heal and plan, now because of our recklessness, they'll be more alert around us.~

Charra ignored the internal bickering as she struggled to stand, she had to take a moment as she leaned against the wall for support before her eyes fell upon the drawer she had used as a weapon.

Sighing, she used the force and lifted the drawer to have it come to a rest on the desk.

 _I'll fix it later._ She mused before her eyes caught sight of the recorder, simply lying on the desk.

She didn't remember placing it there when she had asked Savage about Korra Trig and the state they had left the Basalisk in after her capture.

Thinking back on her conversation with Savage, Charra realized that his tone had been neutral when he informed her about Korra's condition. So what had caused her to provoke the large Zabrak into charging? If anyone were to gloat about severing a body part it would be Maul not Savage.

"Damn it." She muttered, by letting her Zygerrian side have the reigns in her weakened state she became rude and foul tempered.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed before heading towards the bed to meditate to calm herself and the storm in her mind. She would need to lay low for a couple days to rest and recover from her injuries, giving her time to regain her strength as well.

Sitting cross-legged in the center of the bed, Charra steepled her fingers together as she rested them in her lap. She gave a long slow exhale through her nose before losing herself in her meditations.

X X X

**Coruscant, Cantina... Day**

The sound of Cantina music reached Obi-Wan's ears, he glanced over at Quinlan Vos who had just stepped off the transport and now stood beside him.

"You didn't have to come, Vos. Rowan is trust worthy and has helped us in the past." Obi-Wan stated.

"Yeah, I know. You can never be too careful though, you never know just who you might meet." Vos coolly stated.

Kenobi couldn't find any holes in his logic, Cantina's always held an air of danger and the risk of brawls and firefights breaking out were always high.

"Shall I go in first to make sure it's safe?" Vos stated with a small smirk.

Obi-Wan chuckled. "I doubt that will be necessary, my friend."

The dreadlocked Jedi did an "after you" gesture towards the door, the amber haired Jedi simply shook his head before heading inside.

The strong smell of smoke stung the Jedi's nose the moment he entered the bar, he glanced over as his fellow Jedi who didn't seem to be bothered by it.

"You need to get out more, Kenobi." Vos chuckled.

"Yes, I suppose you're right." Obi-Wan smiled.

Vos padded his friend's shoulder. "I'll be at the bar if you need me."

Obi-Wan watched as Vos sauntered over towards the bar before turning his attention to the other patrons. He could just make out a few faces, but none matched the woman he was looking for, that was until he saw a match catch fire somewhere in the back. It was just enough to indicate a location.

As he made his way towards the back, the hair on the back of his stood up as he felt a ripple in the force. He continued walking so he wouldn't tip off who ever was watching him.

"You know, Rowan, those are bad for you." Obi-Wan stated as he took a seat at the woman's table.

Rowan chuckled behind her cigar, smoke escaping her nostrils.

"True, then again so is my line of work," She replied. "But if it really means that much to you, I'll put it out."

She leaned forward into the light, revealing herself to be a Zygerrian with reddish brown fur and honey amber eyes. Once the cigar was out, she turned her attention back to Obi-Wan.

"Now, what can I do for you?" She asked intertwining your fingers together as she rested her elbows on the table.

The Jedi sighed, running his fingers through his hair, something he only did when feeling overly stressed which were rare.

The Zygerrian woman waited patiently for the Jedi to compose himself and gather his thoughts.

"Charra has been taken."

Rowan narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean Charra's been taken? Taken by whom?"

"Two Zabraks; Maul and his brother Savage." Obi-Wan replied with a heavy sigh, missing Rowan stiffen.

"How is that even possible?" She whispered then cleared her throat, speaking aloud just managing to keep her voice steady. "How did that happen? Charra is one of your best people."

He sighed again, leaning back in his chair. "Even the best of us can be taken by surprise."

"What happened exactly?"

"Charra and Master Trig were on a jungle planet which turned out to be a Smuggler's cache drop." Obi-Wan started.

"It's not mine."

"We figured, according to Korra, Charra was being affected by the heat that might have been a factor in her capture."

"And your Master Trig couldn't prevent the kidnapping?" Rowan almost growled.

"It's difficult to do so when droids are attacking and one of your arms have been severed." Obi-Wan calmly countered.

Rowan growled softly and sat back in her chair. "How long has Charra been... Missing?"

"Almost four days, we haven't been able to locate them. Maul seems to be a master at covering his tracks."

The Zygerrian bit back her annoyance before replying. "Could she even still be alive?"

"If she wasn't, I'm sure Master Yoda would have felt it in the Force."

Rowan raised an eyebrow. "I see, what do you want me to do?"

"Well, you've always been able to find Charra regardless of her location." He pointed out.

"Yes, much to the annoyance of her teacher." Rowan replied with a soft chuckle.

"I've always wondered about, why did Dooku disapprove of you being around her?"

The Zygerrian shrugged. "I have no idea, maybe he thought that my 'unruly' behavior would rub off on her or some such nonsense," She downed the rest of her drink. "Anyway, back to the task at hand. What do you want me to do when I find her, smuggler her away from the brothers?"

"Too risky, I doubt they'll let her out of their sight." Obi-Wan warned.

"What do they even want with her, information on the Jedi or something?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Obi-Wan admitted.

Rowan smirked. "Well, they're certainly going to learn the hard way that Zygerrian females don't like being told what to do. Well, I guess I can do recon and keep my distance."

"That could work, unlike most bounty hunters, you can be discreet. But, if you're able to get her alone..." Obi-Wan trailed off.

"I'll think of something," Rowan raised an eyebrow when she noticed the Jedi's body language. "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing, just a chill."

She snorted. "You're a shit lair, Kenobi. Is it a Jedi thing?"

"Something like that, I felt it before through the Force, as though I was being watched."

"That would be Zephyr, my new partner. Don't worry, he's harmless."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "I thought you swore off partners after the incident with Cad Bane."

She snorted as one of her ears giving a dismissive flick. "I was young and naive."

Obi-Wan snorted as well but chose to remained silent, he'd rather not risk insulting her by reminding the Bounty Hunter that said incident was barely a year ago.

"However, I can trust Zephyr and unlike that blue bastard, I can drop my guard around him."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Well, I wish you both a long and profitable partnership then."

Rowan chuckled. "I have a job to finish, once it's over I'll track down Charra."

"Of course, Rowan. Please contact me when you've found her."

"You have my word, Kenobi." She promised with a small nod.

The Jedi returned her nod before rising from his chair then chuckled when the Zygerrian reignited her cigar.

"What? I only smoke when I'm on a job."

He shook his head before walking back towards the bar where Quinlan Vos was flirting with a red female Twi'lek bartender.

"Vos, time to go." Obi-Wan commented as he headed outside.

X X X

"What's the verdict?" Vos asked as he joined Obi-Wan outside.

"She'll do it." Obi-Wan replied.

"How much is this gonna cost?"

"Not a thing."

Vos blinked in surprise and turned to look at his friend. "That's... unexpected considering her profession. Are they... romantically involved?"

"No, they're sisters but not by birth, more like blood pact siblings." Obi-Wan replied.

Vos raised an eyebrow. "How did that come to be?"

The other Jedi shrugged with a slight chuckle. "I'm not entirely sure, all I remember is a series of long and crazy events leading up to it."

Before Vos could say more, a loud and sudden commotion erupted from inside the Cantina, drawing the attention of both the Jedi.

"Should we?" He asked.

"No, it's most likely Rowan doing her job." Obi-Wan replied with a small shake of his before heading towards the transport so he could report to the Council.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, more characters! Who is Rowan's new partner?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Release the SMUT!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it appears I must add Night Terrors and PTSD to my tags now. Though, it does seem appropriate for Maul to have PTSD and Night Terrors considering what Sidious did to him during his apprenticeship and the fact that he lost his mind on Lotho Minor.
> 
> Quick Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Star Wars Characters only this story and OC's

Charra quietly walked past Maul's quarters, not wanting to disturb the Zabrak with the hair trigger temper. It had taken her two days to learn of said temper; thankfully, it had not been aimed at her.

A Weequay merchant had tried to screw them over, before she had to persuade him other wise, Maul had finally lost his temper and cut the poor greedy bastard down. They had to leave the planet shortly after that; luckily, they had already gotten a majority of their trading done before hand.

She had spent the rest of that day avoiding Maul as he skulked around the ship with a dark cloud following him. However, it wasn't the red male she needed to speak to; it was his larger and impossibly quiet brother.

Charra wasn't entirely sure where Savage's quarters were, but she knew where to find him as she and the large male had the semblance of a truce. She had sought him out on the second day of her captivity and apologized for needlessly provoking him.

Apologizing hadn't been easy as Maul had been there with the biggest shit-eating smirk on his face, that and swallowing her pride as a Zygerrian.

Savage had clearly not been expecting an apology and simply stared at her for a solid ten seconds before accepting her apology. Maul's smirk had only deepened and it had taken all of Charra's self-control not to punch so hard in the face that her hand would break.

Grunts and fists hitting padding brought the Jedi back to the present; she blinked as she found herself by the door of the small but sizable training/sparring room. She went inside and the sight of a shirtless Savage training made her heart skip a beat.

~Well, hello.~ Her Zygerrian purred, quite pleased with what she saw.

~He is only working out.~ The Jedi pointed out, seeing the Zabrak differently then her Zygerrian counter part.

~Yes, but look at him, the rippling muscles, the way he carries himself! The way he moves,~ The Zygerrian was all but drooling at this point. ~The Power!~

~He is a Sith, we are Jedi. It's the duty of the Jedi to put an end to the Sith,~ Her Jedi replied. ~Even if he wasn't a Sith, we could not have him.~

Charra was so caught up with her internal bickering, she failed to notice that Savage had stopped his assault in the punching bag and was now looking directly at her, horned head tilted to the side as he watched her.

"Charra." He rumbled, he raised an eye when she didn't respond.

Shaking his head, Savage walked over to the Zygerrian, luckily, they were around the same height. To get her attention this time, he loudly snapped his fingers in front of her face. That seemed to work as she flinched and blinked a few times.

"Oh." Charra said as she composed herself then blushed upon noticing their close proximity.

Savage folded his arms across his chest just to mess with her, smirking a little when she cleared her throat, her ears giving an almost nervous flick.

"Now that I have your attention, was there something you wanted?" He asked his tone neutral.

"Oh, um... Shit," He bit back another smirk at her being a little flustered. "There was something I wanted to ask of you, but now I can't remember."

Savage looked her up and down before stating rather boldly. "You seem a bit tense, Charra."

~Maybe you can help with that.~ Her Zygerrian cheekily put in with a suggestive purr.

~Will you stop already?~ Her Jedi counter part replied.

Charra gave an almost nervous chuckle as she rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, maybe a little."

'Get a hold of yourself, you're a Jedi!' She berated herself.

"Perhaps you'd care to spar with me?" Savage offered.

"Yes, please." She could have kicked herself for that.

Savage gave a soft snort before heading back towards the center of the room, he glanced over his shoulder to see if Charra was following.

The Zygerrian had paused to remove her robe, she looked right at him, smirked and dropped it on the bench.

He snorted again at her antics, however he couldn't help but feel a little confused by her sudden change of behavior, considering what transpired only moments ago.

Charra soon joined him in the center, she had a playful yet determined look on her face.

"Bring it, big guy."

X X X

"That... Cheating." Savage rasped as he found himself trapped in an arm bar.

"No, it's not," Charra panted. "We never agreed on the rules."

He could hear the smirk in her voice then realized that she was right, they hadn't agreed on the terms of their sparring session.

"Do you give in?" She asked still smirking.

"I'm actually quite content where I am."

Charra raised an eyebrow, confused by the comment. Realization dawned a second later, she quickly released him when she heard a deep inhalation.

 _Well, that's one way to get out of an arm bar._ She thought as getting back to her feet.

Savage chuckled softly as he rose to his full height, as they circled he wondered just how strong herself control was and what it would take for it to break. Perhaps appealing to her Zygerrian side would work, it had before prior to her throwing him off the bed. If he were to provoke that side of her, he would need to get in up close and personal.

"Hey."

Savage looked up and flinched as a moccasin-covered foot came within inches of hitting his face.

"I can't believe that actually worked." Charra chuckled.

Savage had every intention of wiping that smirk off her face, he started by taking a firm grip on her ankle, inwardly smirking as her own fell.

"You didn't think that through, did you?"

"No, I was simply trying to get your attention." She admitted with a sheepish grin.

"Well, you have it now." His voice was a deep rumbling purr.

There, it was only for a second or two but he had seen the shift in her eyes, now all he had to do was bring it to the surface.

X X X

~Careful, he is trying to bait us into a trap.~ Her Jedi observed.

Her Zygerrian counterpart scoffed. ~Will you calm down? We're sparring, it's not actual combat.~

Savage swiftly slipped past Charra's defenses and grabbed her from behind, firmly trapping her hands against her chest.

"I'm starting to think you enjoy grabbing me from behind." Charra commented with a small chuckle.

"I won't lie," He rumbled as he buried his nose in her hair and breathed deep. "It's not without its perks."

A tremor past through her with being so close, his broad well muscled chest pressing into her back, his burly tattooed arms holding her in place. His musky scent filling her lungs every time she inhaled.

She almost relaxed against him when she felt something hard pressing into her ass and she couldn't fight back a grin. Someone was certainly rearing to go.

What harm could it do were she to have just a little taste, it wasn't as though she was giving into the Dark side.

~It is essentially the same time, giving into passion and lust will...~

Her Jedi was drowned out when Savage claimed her mouth in a slow but hungry kiss, her chin held gently in his fist.

Charra relaxed against him as she returned the kiss, she would give in, just this once. No one would know, no one but them.

The moment her hands were free, she shifted around so she could press up against him. She smiled into the kiss at the soft groan when her knee brushed up against his crotch.

She growled softly, a growl he returned only his was deeper in tone, it sent shivers down her spine. She mewled at the sensation, her mewl was swallowed by the Zabrak as Savage once more claimed her mouth in a now more heated and hungry kiss.

Feeling a little aggressive, Charra gave a predatory growl before pushing Savage up against the wall at the same deepening the kiss, seeking to dominate the large male.

Momentarily thrown by her aggressive display, the Zabrak took control of the situation as the urge to dominate and claim grew stronger. He broke the kiss, grabbed her arms, spun them around, and pressed her into the wall. His chest rising and falling, growling pants escaping his lips.

"Well," Charra panted, smirking into the wall as Savage pressed up against her, his erection pressing up against her ass again. "This seems a tad familiar."

"Only this time, the ending will be different." Savage growled into her neck.

"Instead of being thrown off the bed, you'll be throwing me onto it?" She ventured.

"That's the idea." He rumbled, gently nipping at a pulse in her neck as he reached around to grope one of her firm supple breasts.

Charra gave a needy purring moan at the nips and squeezing grope. "S-Sounds like a plan I can get behind."

Savage growled his approval before turning her around again and all but ripped off the top half of her Jedi attire along with her undershirt before claiming her mouth in demanding lust filled kiss, enjoying the feel of her short silky fur against his skin.

The aggressive display of dominance excited the Zygerrian as she moaned into the kiss as she eagerly returned it with equal hunger.

Between the growls, snarls and near frantic groping, they managed to get completely naked; tattooed skin pressing up against soft silky fur leading to more growls and demanding hungry kisses.

Another growl swiftly became a cry of passion and wanton desire. Hands wondered, nails digging into flesh, and the growling moans that followed. Nothing else mattered, nothing but the writhing passion filled beings on the training room floor.

X X X

Maul honestly had no idea what he had just walked in on, when he had first heard the growling, he had figured that vermin had come abroad the open ramp and started fighting.

It was the strong scent of arousal that told him other wise, he had expected to see... He wasn't sure but not the almost frantic frenzied mating he was now witnessing. No doubt, their coupling had been a spur of the moment situation.

Before leaving, Maul took a moment to admire the Zygerrian's body, noting her lithe yet muscular frame. He wasn't sure but he was sure he could see faint brown spots on her shoulder.

He blinked in sudden confusion when he no longer saw Savage and Charra but himself and... Obi-Wan Kenobi? He shook his head then left to give them their privacy, he would need to meditate on the vision he had just seen. However, as startled as Maul was by the suddenness of it, he couldn't help but grin at the idea of Kenobi writhing in pleasure beneath him.

X X X

Savage's roar filled the room as he climaxed, his seed spilling inside the Zygerrian who clung to him, her claws digging into his back as her own tore through her, a cry of pure ecstasy escaping her.

Momentarily sated, the Zabrak pulled out and lay beside the Zygerrian woman.

"Did I ware you out?" Charra asked in a teasing manner.

"Only for a moment, as tempting as it would be to have you again, I'd rather it be in a bed." He replied.

"Smart, I've had mat burn before, it's not fun." She raised an eyebrow as she felt a shift in the force, she looked over at Savage.

She didn't ask what was wrong, his body language and scent told her everything; he was jealous!

"Are you really that insecure? I got mat burn when I was a kit trying to mimic a wrestling move I watched on a hologram feed." She told him, sitting up on her elbows.

Charra scoffed when he remained silent and rose to her feet, ignoring the slight soreness in her nether regions. She headed over to the wall and gathered up her clothes then over to the bench to grab her robe when Savage grabbed a hold of her wrist.

An animal like growl escaped her lips, one silver-green eye glaring at him.

"Unless you wish to lose that hand I advise you remove it from my wrist. Now."

Savage didn't think she'd actually do it, but he wasn't willing to take that chance in his current state.

When be released her hand, Charra headed for the door, uncaring that Maul had just stepped into the hall a few yards off to her right. She completely ignored him as she walked past him to get back to her quarters. She couldn't help but smirk, the red male was a robot from the waist down but he was still looking.

X X X

Over the course of the next couple of days, the atmosphere on the ship was a bit tense. Maul was grumpy and pissy as always, Savage looked tired and a little hot tempered so Charra avoided pissing him off as much as possible. Being on the receiving end of his rage was not something she wanted to experience again.

Maul was another matter, he was irritable then usual, all she did was sneeze and he lost his temper then  
through an empty bowl at her head with the help of the Force.

Thankfully, his aim was off and the bowl hit the wall with a **THUNK** before it clattered to the floor.

Charra huffed and shook her head before reaching down to pick up the bowl and setting it down in the sink.

"Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?" She asked as she crossed her arms.

Maul's response was a growl and a heated glare of one yellow eye.

She growled back before leaving the kitchenette where she almost walked into Savage.

"Sorry. Careful, Darth Grumpy is in a pissy mood." She warned, ignoring another growl from the red Zabrak.

"I'm quite aware of his current mood." Savage replied before letting her pass.

As Charra headed into the hall, something made her stop and turn around and watched as Savage joined Maul at the table the door slid shut just as he wrapped a burly arm around his brother's shoulders. A small smile reached her lips at Savage's devotion to Maul. 

She found out in the dead of the night so to speak just how strong Savage's devotion was to his temperamental sibling.

What had awoken her was a tremor in the Force, Charra knew she wasn't in any danger but she remained alert as she left her quarters to find the source of the tremor. As she entered the hallway, she reached out with the Force and nearly stumbled backwards when she was hit with a powerful wave of terror. It was coming from Maul's end of the ship, what was going on that could make the red Zabrak so fearful?

She calmed her mind so she wouldn't become entangled as she headed towards the center of the storm. Her ears twitched when she heard voices, her eyes narrowed when she noticed that Maul's door was ajar.

"N-No... N-No! Please!" Heavy fearful panting and whimpering.

Charra had never heard someone so terrified before, heart racing she reached the door and peered through the gap.

Maul was lying on his back he had kicked off his blankets some time during his sleep, his tattooed chest rapidly rose and fell with each fearful breath. Although he was asleep, his face was a mask of utter fear. 

The room was heavy with the scent of sweat and fear, Charra wanted to go to the Zabrak and comfort him but Savage was already there, sitting on the edge of the bed, holding Maul's hand.

"Brother, you are safe. It is only a dream." Savage rumbled softly.

Maul started to mumble a mantra that Charra didn't quite hear but it sounded familiar, she moved closer and gasped softly when she stubbed her toe.

Savage's head snapped around, a snarl on his lips, ready to defend his brother from the intruder. The snarl died when he saw that it was Charra and he relaxed before turning his attention back to Maul.

Taking a chance, Charra quietly stepped inside and stood beside the yellow Zabrak.

"How long as he had Night Terrors?" She quietly asked.

"For a few months now, I'd thought they'd pass after Mother Talzin healed his mind and gave him his new legs." Savage replied.

"Some scars run deep, so deep that it can't be healed by magic." Charra jumped when Maul shot up right in bed with a cry of fear, he ended up in his brother's embrace.

Savage rumbled softly, lightly stroking his back in a soothing manner as Maul trembled against him.

"My left hand is trapped at the moment, lightly caress the base of one of his horns." Savage requested, glancing over at her.

Charra blinked taken aback by the request, but she was also touched by it. It spoke volumes of Savage's trust in her, especially with Maul so vulnerable. She moved closer to Savage before reaching out and tenderly caressing the largest horn on the back of Maul's head. The tortured male's breathing slowed and his trembling was all but gone, she continued to comfort Maul until soft contented snores reached her ears.

She stepped back so Savage could lay Maul back down on the bed and covered him back up with the blanket. She watched this for a moment before turning away, she felt like she was watching a private moment between siblings.

"I'll see you in the morning." Charra said softly before heading towards the door.

"Charra."

She paused, hand on the doorframe, she looked over her shoulder, meeting Savage' gaze.

"Thank you."

Charra smiled softly. "Anytime."

X X X

"I am this close to putting my fist through that timer control panel," Charra yawned as she poured herself some tea. "It's evil."

Savage snorted softly. "As tempting as that would be, we can't risk it. We're not entirely sure what else that panel is hooked up to."

"So you and Maul steal a ship and you don't know the inner workings? Way to plan ahead."

"It was spur of the moment."

Charra snorted behind her glass then fell silent as Maul entered the kitchenette. She moved aside so he could get what he wanted from the cupboard and fridge.

She glanced at Savage before approaching Maul, setting down her glass.

"How are you this morning?" She asked.

Maul turned his head, giving her a slightly confused and wary look. "I'm fine."

Savage silently watched the brief exchange, Charra clearly hadn't thought what ever she had planned through. Quickly realizing that Maul wasn't going to elaborate on his _fine_ mood, the Zygerrian cleared her throat before walking away. 

Maul raised an eyebrow and looked in his brother's direction looking for an explanation, Savage shrugged just as confused as he was by it. He took one last look at Charra before leaving with his warm cup of tea.

"He doesn't remember having night terrors." Savage stated after Maul left.

"Perhaps that's for the best," Charra replied as she sat down beside Savage. "The only thing we can do is simply be there for him."

Savage gave a soft sigh in agreement, at least now he would have some help with Maul's night terrors. It would certainly make things easier in the long run, if there was a long run in Maul's so-called plan to turn Charra to their side.

The feel of a soft hand on his drew him from his thoughts, he looked down and saw Charra's hand clasped in his own. He met her gaze before lightly pressing his forehead into hers, enjoying the soft sound of her purring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Could there be some Maul and Kenobi action later on in this story? Continue reading this fanfic and find out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More on Charra's and Savage's relationship and thanks Darth Testicle Face for fucking up Maul!

Over the next few weeks, they fell into a routine and it appeared to be working, Maul appeared less agitated and a little more at ease, he even tolerated Charra's presences when she joined him in meditation.

Maul's brow furrowed when he heard soft humming coming Charra, he opened his eyes and looked over at the Zygerrian sitting to his left. She seemed to be humming a song that sounded familiar; he just didn't know where he had heard it before.

"I'll stop if it's too distracting." Charra commented without opening her eyes. 

"No, that's quite alright. You may continue if you wish." Maul replied before closing his eyes again.

Charra smiled softly and opened one eye to peer at the red Zabrak before closing her eye and continued the hum the song. 

It was the same song she had softly sung the night she had gone to comfort Maul from his nightmares alone, nearly giving Savage a minor heart attack in the process.

X X X

_Charra felt the twinge in the Force again, she instantly knew what that meant and climbed out of bed to nearly stumble into the door of her quarters._

_"Ow." She muttered as she opened the door, her eyes adjusting to the near darkness of hallway._

_As she headed towards her destination, she scented the air and within seconds fear filled her nostrils, she paused mid-step when she didn't also catch Savage' scent mixed in with the fear. She glanced over her shoulder and briefly wondered if she should go and wake the yellow tattooed giant._

~There's no time,~ _Her Jedi said._ ~Go to Maul, guide him out of his nightmares.~

_Charra took a moment to calm her mind before continuing towards her destination, aside from the scent of fear it was the fearful panting and whimpering that reached her ears._

_"M-Master, please... No!" She heard Maul's muffled whimper._

_"Mercy, please! I-I never meant to fail you!"_

_Charra opened the door as Maul cried out in fear, he was on his back, and his blankets had been kicked due to his thrashing about. As she stepped inside, she could smell sweat underneath the terror, she had to control her own fear if she was to help him out his nightmare._

_She was taking a chance by doing this alone, she had witnessed Maul lash out at Savage during one of his nightmares. Had Opress not seen it coming, Maul would have torn out his own brother's throat with his claws._

_Taking a calming breath, Charra sat down on the edge of the bed then took Maul's taloned hand in her own, she held her breath when the distressed Zabrak took a sharp intake._

_"Maul," She gently spoke. "Listen to the sound of my voice, you are safe. He can't hurt you anymore."_

_"Far above, far above, we don't know where we'll fall." Maul whimpered._

_Charra narrowed her eyes slightly, that wasn't the mantra he whimpered that first time she had witnessed his night terrors then once more the other night. This was a different one, a little more heart breaking._

_"F-Far above, far above... What once was great is rendered small." Maul finished before continuing his fearful panting._

Ancestors, I wish there was some way to help you, to heal your fractured mind. _Charra thought as her thumb stroked a tattooed pattern on Maul's hand._

_She nearly jumped out of her skin when Maul suddenly gripped her hand with bone crushing strength. Despite the pain, she didn't pull away, she took an even greater risk by reaching down and placing her other hand on his warm cheek and leaned forward slightly._

_"Listen to the sound of my voice, Maul, use it as anchor, use it to claw your way to the surface and escape him." His iron like grip on her hand loosened and his panting slowed._

_Charra's eyes softened as she caressed his cheek with her thumb, the smell of fear slowly fading from the room. She caressed his cheek again before she started to sing a lullaby to ease him out of his nightmares and calm his mind._

_It was a song she would sing to frightened kits after leaving their family to begin their Jedi training. The only ones who knew about it were Obi-Wan, Master Yoda, and Plo-Koon. She doubted Maul would even remember the song as he never seemed to remember anything after having one of his Night Terrors._

_The red male was sleeping peacefully by the time Charra had finished the lullaby. She sat there for a moment and watched him sleep before getting up and leaving, only to walk right into Savage as she exited the room._

_"What are you doing?" He asked in growling whisper, his hands taking her shoulders._

_"What we've been doing for the past few weeks." Charra replied, not seeing what the problem was._

_"Not alone you're not, it's dangerous for you to go alone." Savage stated, fighting the urge to look her over for wounds._

_"Savage, I can handle myself and I didn't have time to wake you," She replied. "I know going in there alone was dangerous, but I'm a Jedi, we're stupidly selfless and have no sense of self preservation. Some more than others."_

_Savage managed a small smile, the tension leaving his body. He gently took hold of her chin before leaning down to kiss her, inwardly smiling at the soft purring that came from the Zygerrian._

X X X

Maul's steady breathing brought Charra back to the present, she looked at the Zabrak and smiled. He wasn't meditating he was sleeping, his relaxed posture was a dead giveaway, well that and his soft snores.

"Enjoy your nap, Maul." She whispered as she rose to her feet and headed for the door.

X X X

Out of sheer happenstance, Savage found Charra in the kitchen pantry taking inventory. He noticed a pad of paper on the table and a small cache of food next to it.

He knew she had heard him enter as one of her ears had twitched upon his arrival, she didn't turn to look at him most likely not wanting to lose her train of thought.  
"Can you give me the pad of paper?" She asked without turning to look at the large Zabrak.

As he picked up the note pad, he instantly noticed the little doodles on the left side of the page. He smiled a little before handing her the pad.

"Thank you." She replied before writing something down.

As Savage continued to watch her, he noticed that she would lightly press the eraser part of the pen under her nose. Now that he thought about it, he had noticed a few other little things that she did.

When Charra would read, she would sit cross legged either in the middle of the bed or with her back in a corner as long as said corner faced a door. When lost in thought while sitting down, her fingers would interlock save for her thumbs as they would be resting under her chin. 

He knew if he paid more attention, he would notice even more of the little things she would do.

He quickly realized that he was staring a little too long so he quickly turned his attention elsewhere. His gaze fell upon the small cache on the table, why had she removed them from the rest, had it expired?

He picked up a small box and turned it over to check. It was still edible for another month, so why was it out? He glanced back at Charra before opening the box, unrolling the small plastic lining, and popped a small chunk into his mouth.

It took all of two seconds to realize why it had been separated from the rest of the food.

Charra hid her laugh behind the notebook as Savage spat out the offending food in the trash.

"Why does it taste like dirt?" Savage asked.

"I'm guessing one of the smugglers was a health nut," Charra replied once her laughter died down. "I'm all for eating healthy but not when it tastes like that."  
"Is this all of it?" Savage asked.

"For the moment at least, aside from the small cache on the table, we have plenty of food to last another three months." She replied.

"And non-food related supplies?"

"I haven't checked it."

"That will have to wait," Maul stated as she entered the kitchen. "We have more pressing matters."

"Such as?" Charra asked as she closed the pantry.

"You. You draw far too much attention in your current attire."

Charra scoffed and crossed her arms. "Please, if anyone draws attention to themselves, it's you."

Maul's eyes narrowed slightly. "Meaning what exactly?"

"Well, for starters you walk around without a shirt while you strut like a peacock on your robotic animal legs," She countered. "And besides, half the galaxy doesn't even know what a Jedi looks like."

"Perhaps a compromise," Savage cut in, hoping to put an end to the sarcasm and snark being thrown around. "As we are low on fuel, we should land on a nearby planet for clothing and supplies."

"Clothes shopping, yay." Charra replied and rolled her eyes.

"You can always look for new clothes in the loading bay." Maul shot back.

"Already did, they're either too tight or too big," The Jedi countered. "You, however are more than welcome to look. There's a nice yellow shirt in there that's perfect for you, it'll bring out the crazy in your eyes."

Maul narrowed his eyes for a moment before leaving the kitchen, growing something under his breath.

"Must you antagonize him?" Savage asked as Charra sat down on the counter.

"Couldn't help it, too much fun," She replied as she crossed her legs before being a little over dramatic. "Consider it a coping mechanism for mah kidnapping."

Savage snorted in amusement before walking over and all but trapping her on the counter. He rested a hand on her thigh, feeling encouraged when she raised an eye brow, a hint of a smile on her face.

"It'll be at least eight hours until we reach a merchant planet." He told her.

"Is that right? Well, what shall we do in the mean time?" Charra smirked, a playful glint in his eye.

"I'm sure we can think of something." He rumbled, leaning in closer.

X X X

Savage purred deep in his chest as he and Charra cuddled while they recovered from round three. He buried his nose into her hair and breathed deep, inhaling her scent and committing it to memory.

His hand seemingly having a mind of it's moved from Charra's hip and slid in between her slender and muscular legs.

Charra smiled without opening her eyes. "If you're looking for another Lightsaber, I'm sorry to disappoint you."

He chuckled into her hair. "I'd thought I’d check just to be sure."

He removed his from between her legs as she shifted around so they were now face to face before sliding his back. A deep rumbling purr escaped him as she used a claw to trace the black tattoo on his sternum.

Giving off a soft purr, Charra leaned in close before claiming his mouth in a tender non-dominating kiss which he was all too happy to return in equal fashion.

A soft mewl escaped her as he thumb brushed up against her clit.

"C-Cheater..." She breathed, another mewl escaping her as he slowly stimulated it.

Savage smiled into the kiss, the scent of her desire filling his nostrils. "No, it's not. As we never agreed on terms."

"Cheeky bastard..." She replied with a halfhearted growl.

She let him win the next three rounds.

X X X

She remained awake while Savage slept soundly, his arm draped over her waist a possessive manner. He growled softly in his sleep when she shifted around, she calmed him with a tender nuzzle and soft purring.

~You've grown attached.~ Her Jedi stated.

Charra blinked when she realized that it was true, she had grown attached to Savage and to some extent Maul.

~You know this will only end in a broken heart, even if he wasn't a Sith.~

 _He's not a sith, not a true one anyway, sure the darkness is there, but he's not evil, nor is Maul. They've been wronged, both of them and the only one lashing out is Maul._ Charra countered.

~That maybe so, but you cannot be together, the Code forbids attachment. You must distance yourself from Savage, being with him only gives you something to lose.~

~No,~ The Zygerrian countered with a soft growl. ~It gives you something to fight for, to protect. We're not Droids, we should be able to feel something for someone and to Hell with the repercussions.~

She knew that both her instincts are right... Yes, this would most likely end in heartbreak but at least she had been able to feel something for someone, even if that someone was a wannabe Sith Lord. She let out a quiet exhale through her nose as made her decision.

_Savage is mine, at least for now…_

X X X

It was at least three hours until Planet Fall and Savage was still asleep while Charra had remained awake staring at the ceiling, trying to calm her mind and put a halt to the internal bickering of her Jedi and Zygerrian.

She turned her attention to the sleeping male beside her, she smiled a little as she reached up and stroked/traced one of the black tattoos on his forehead.

She gently bit her lip to stifle a giggle as his brows drew together for a moment then relaxed. After a moment past, she continued her stroking, only this time it was the bridge of that sexy nose of his. She managed to fight back another giggle when he opened his eyes. Like hers, his golden eyes gave off a slight glow in the dark.

"Hello, sleeping beauty." She smiled before kissing his nose.

Savage gave off one of his rumbling growling purr at the kiss. "How much time until we land?"

"About three hours, give or take a few minutes. Care to join me in the shower?"

Savage made a small displeased grunt as he sat up. "Is a shower really necessary? I rather enjoy being able to find my scent clinging to your fur, it lets other males know that you are mine."

Charra chuckled to hide her pleased shiver as she too sat up, letting the blanket fall, exposing the top half of her naked form to the large male. "I doubt your scent will fade from taking a shower or anytime soon for that matter."

Savage had a pleased smirk on his face.

 _Mine._ He thought as she leaned in to nuzzle him and giving off a cat like purr.

"Go ahead, I'll join you in a moment."

Charra kissed his nose again before getting out of bed and sauntering over to the bath, grinning as she heard the pleased growl emanate from the large yellow male.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Star Wars Characters only this story and OC's

Charra barely had time to check their supplies that wasn't food related; she couldn't rightly blame Savage for it as she pretty much seduced him on her way to the bathroom. Despite this, she managed to get a short list going before the ship landed.

"Should we gather supplies or clothes?" Charra asked as she and Savage walked down the ramp.

"Doesn't matter, we can gather supplies along the way." Savage replied.

"Just do it quickly." Maul growled from the top of the ramp. "I have no desire to stay on this planet longer than necessary."

"As you wish, your crankiness." She replied, glancing back up at him.

 _At least he's wearing a shirt.'_ She thought before silently admitting that the red and black Zabrak looked rather handsome in dark clothes.

"Savage, try to keep her out of trouble and under some semblance of control." Maul ordered, ignoring Charra's statement.

"Of course, brother." Savage replied with a small nod.

Charra snorted in amusement but decided to remain silent, like Maul she didn't like the looks of the place and wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Savage gave her a small playful push to get her moving again, he smirked at the slightly annoyed look she gave him.

 

X    X    X

 

The Market place was a wash of sights, smells, and the numerous voices of vendors selling their goods.

The Zygerrian Jedi paused on occasion to browse car window shop; her companion didn't seem to mind but she did have to elbow him in the ribs a few times when he would growl should another male; vendor or otherwise would get too close.

Minutes later, Charra took a moment admire some jewelry an elderly Twi'lek woman was selling before continuing on.

They were able to pick up a few things along the way as they reached a large area that sold clothing.

"I need to drop these off; can I trust you not to run off?" Savage asked as they reached the outskirts of the clothing vendor's territory.

Charra raised an eye brow and snorted. "Where could I possibly go? And yes, I promise not to run off, Maul's tolerance of my attics maybe high but he has still threatens to hobble me should I try to run."

Savage gave her a look then lightly pressing his forehead against hers, a soft purr emanating from him before leaving.

She watched him for a moment before walking into the many rows of clothes. She wasn't looking for anything stylish or flashy, just something that wouldn't restrict her movements in a fight.

"That half shirt would certainly bring out the color in your eyes."

She paused, I'm certain she'd heard correctly... It wasn't possible, yet in a way it was.

"Rowan?" She asked, just to be sure.

"Of course, who else could find you in the middle of nowhere?" Rowan replied with a slight chuckle.

Charra smirked before turning around expecting to see the other Zygerrian in her usual attire; long trench coat, black cargo pants, and V-neck shirt that showed a hint of cleavage. Instead, Rowan was wearing simple vendor clothing... loose fitting with fading colors, she even smelled like one.

She opened her mouth to speak when Rowan put a finger to her lips and drew the other Zygerrian deeper inside the rows.

"Wait, I need to be able to see-" Charra started.

"Don't worry, I got that covered." Rowan replied before activating her wrist communicator. "Has he vanished from sight yet?"

_-Not yet, the weapons’ vendor got his attention, he's not hard to miss, he's quite the specimen.-_

Rowan rolled her honey colored eyes. "I said track him, not eye bang him through the scope, Zephyr."

There was an amused chuckle. _-I can do both.-_

"Ok, whose Zephyr and how did you find me?" Charra asked before Rowan could reply.

"Oh, Zephyr is my new partner and Obi-Wan told me what happened and asked that I find you." Rowan replied.

Charra smiled a little, Kenobi always had her back.

"Give him my thanks when you make your report. Let him know I'm fine and that I have a plan."

Rowan gave her a long searching look before crossing her arms and stating bluntly. "You don't have a plan, do you?"

Charra wanted to say that she had one, but sighed in defeat, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I don't, not even the beginnings of one."

The other Zygerrian gave a good natured snort then narrowed her eyes as she scented the air and shook her head.

"You know a few years back when I said that you should cut loose and have a little fun? Sleeping with your captors wasn't what I meant."

 _-Can you blame her? He's quite the catch, had I known there was someone like him running around the galaxy, I would have snatched him up myself.-_ Zephyr replied, a grin in his voice.

"Keep it in your pants, please." Rowan sighed.

A chuckle. _-No promises, little sister.-_

"Ok, can we talk and look for clothes? That way Savage won't get suspicious when he comes back." Charra asked, trying not to sound nervous.

Rowan raised an eye brow but nodded before sorting through clothing.

"So what exactly what your plan once you found me?" The Jedi asked, not really paying attention to the articles of clothing that Rowan was picking out.

"Recon at the moment, Kenobi simply wanted me to keep an eye on you."

"Ok... How are you going to continue once I'm off planet?"

Rowan just grinned and held out her hand, revealing a flat circular object in the palm of her hand.

"Hide this somewhere on the ship and I'll be able to find you anywhere in the galaxy."

Charra nodded as she took it from her and slipped it into her pocket of her robes.

 _-Oh, here comes tall, dark, and insanely hawt.-_ Came Zephyr's purr over the communicator.

"Thank you, Captain Shameless of the Smuggler's ship Flirtatious," Rowan replied, her smile betraying her annoyance. "Alright, these should fit you."

Charra gave her a look. "How could you know that?"

"We're about the same size, you're just broader in the shoulders and a little more... Chesty."

Charra realized a little too late the mistake of letting Rowan pick out her clothes. Before she had a chance to protest, she felt Savage' presence.

"Did you find anything suitable?" He rumbled.

Charra glared at Rowan before turning around, arms full of articles of clothing.

"Heh, I believe so, yes." She replied with a weary smile.

"T'was my honor to serve you." Rowan stated with a slight accent and a small bow.

 _Oh, gods._ Charra thought.

X  X  X

Rowan waited until Charra and Savage were long gone before changing clothes and heading off to a secluded area to wait for Zephyr and to contact Kenobi. She glanced around before reaching into her trench coat and pull out a thick circular disk that fit in the palm of her hand.

She glanced around again before pressing the center with her thumb, the round panel lit up half a second later. After several seconds of static, a six inch hologram of Obi-Wan Kenobi came into focus, the jedi appeared relieved to see her.

 _"I've been expecting your call, Rowan. However, I didn't think it would take this long."_ Obi-Wan stated evenly.

"I'm just as surprised as you," Rowan replied as she leaned against a wall. "You were right about them being difficult to find, I got lucky though. Your buddy Maul has quite the temper."

_"Don't remind me," The auburn haired Jedi sighed. "How is Charra?"_

"She appeared healthy and looked like she wanted to punch the big guy in the face."

Or tear his clothes off and take him tight there on the ground. She added to herself, fighting back a smirk.

 _"That sounds like Charra, were you able to speak to her without being spotted?"_ He looked hopeful.

"I disguised myself as clothing merchant and managed to draw her away from Savage."

Obi-Wan raised an eye brow. _"How did you manage that?"_

"I didn't, she did."

Rowan played an audio recording. **"Maul tolerates my antics, but has made it perfectly clear that he'd hunt me down, then hobble me after killing those who gave me asylum. I'm not gonna run, Savage, why don't you go look at weapons so I can focus on what we came here to do."**

Obi-Wan stroked his beard. _"And that worked?"_

Rowan shrugged. "For about five minutes."

_"I see, were you able to learn anything in such a short time?"_

"That she has a plan and two backups just in case."

The jedi nodded, looking thoughtful. _"...Wait a moment, did you say that you disguised yourself as a clothing vendor?"_

"I did, but don't worry your pretty little head, Kenobi," Rowan chuckled. "The clothes I gave her weren't flashy, they're just as quaint as your jedi robes."

Obi-Wan managed a small smile. _"I'll take your word for it, Rowan. Please keep me updated on Charra."_

"Of course, Kenobi. Until next time." Rowan promised before turning off the hologram and returning the disc back into the inner workings of her trench coat.

"You do realize that five maybe ten percent of that recording is bullshit, right?"

Rowan sighed before turning her attention to the blue eyed shadow. "He wanted reassurance, Zephyr, and that's what I gave him. He doesn't need to know that Charra is sleeping with one of them. And do you really need to make an entrance when I'm the only one around?"

The shadowed form shrugged. "It’s fun and I know it annoys you."

Rowan rolled her eyes as the shadow stepped forward, revealing himself to be a Zabrak with a pale orange skin tone and darker orange tattoos, their placement reminded the Bounty Hunter of a large bipedal rusty furred tabby cat.

It didn't take her long to notice that short but muscular male's shoulders were tense and that his left hand was wedged under his armpit. Her eyes softened as she met his gaze.

"How bad is it?" She asked.

"Better then yesterday." He replied, removing his hand and held it out in front of him where it trembled slightly.

"And your migraines?"

"I only get them should I over exert myself using the Force."

Rowan glanced at his extended still trembling hand for a moment then back at him, a small smile on her face as she walked up to him and gave his shoulder a playful pat. "C'mon, hot stuff, lets head back to the Mystique."

 

X    X    X

 

"Where's Maul?" Charra asked as she and Savage boarded the ship and found it empty.

"I don't know, he was gone when I dropped off the supplies." The large man replied.

"My guess, he's running around scaring kits."

Savage snorted softly. "Sounds like something he would do."

"Well, if he is doing that, the authorities are going to have their hands full," She chuckled then huffed. "I'm gonna put these in my quarters."

Savage glanced down at the bundle of clothes in her arms. "Are you going to try any of them on?"

"Couldn't hurt." In truth, she was dreading it. Only the Force knew what Rowan had picked out for her.

"I'll be in the Rec. Room if you need me."

 _I might need you to help me burn these._ She thought as she walked off.

Savage could almost sense her anxiety, he felt the urge to follow just to see if she was alright. Then thought better of it before heading off to tear a few sparring droids apart.

 

X    X    X

 

Charra chewed on her thumb nail as she paced back and forth, glancing over at the bed where she had dumped the clothes. Dreading what kind she had been given.

~Rowan has never steered us wrong before.~ Her Zygerrian coolly pointed out.

~True, but her taste in wardrobe is questionable at best.~ The Jedi countered.

Sighing, Charra pinched the bridge of her nose, why did this have to be so difficult? They were just clothes!

"Alright," She coolly whispered. "Let’s just get this over with, like a Band-Aid."

She took a moment to compose herself before reaching down to grasp an article of clothing before jerking her hand back a second later as though she had been burned.

~Coward.~ Teased the Zygerrian.

Why couldn't she do this? She could take on an army of battle droids and do a swan dive off a cliff, but trying on clothes? She admits defeat and cowers in a corner. 

~Stay calm and focus.~ Her jedi advised.

Charra takes a moment to compose herself again, she took a long so breath, closed her eyes, and reached towards an article of clothing.

**BANG! BANG!**

Charra jumped, eyes snapping opening and locking on the door. For one crazy moment she thought the jedi had found her and were staging a rescue!

"Have you changed yet?" Maul's growl shot down that delusion.

"G-Give me a minute!" She snapped back, heart racing a mile a minute.

"Hurry up then head to the den." He replied before storming off.

 _Darth Grouchy is back,_ She thought as her heart slowly returned to normal. _Ok... Let's try this again._

 

X    X    X

 

 _Gods, I look like a smuggler._ Charra thought after catching her reflection in a mirror.

She tried to fix her shirt so she wasn't showing so much cleavage, she inwardly cursed Rowan. If she was trying to help her seduce Savage further then the Bounty Hunter would no doubt succeed in that endeavor.

Charra had to admit she liked the vest, it was warm and soft to the touch. She didn't zip it up because all it did was give her cleavage another reason to say hello.

Her ears twitched as she heard the brother's familiar voices coming from the den. She took a moment to center herself before stepping into the room to join the Zabraks, head held high.

"About time." Maul growl without looking from the data pad.

Charra's ears went back as her already weakened confidence went up in smoke. She huffed softly as she joined them at the table, standing next to Savage.

"You requested my presence, Lord of all things grouchy?" Her heart skipped a beat as Savage moved closer, she swallows as his hand slips into her back pocket of the dusty brown colored cargo pants.

_Hope you're happy, Rowan. You succeeded._

Maul lifted his gaze and raised an eye brow as he looked her up and down before commenting with an amused snort. "Planning to the leave the order to become a smuggler?"

"Do you plan on getting a sunny disposition or is that physically impossible for you?" She shot back with a smirk.

The corners of Maul's mouth twitched. "Clever, and yes I did request your presents. While you and Savage were gathering supplies I met up with a Black Market dealer then shortly after a Bounty Hunter."

Charra kept her posture as calm as possible, did Maul find out about Rowan, was she on the ship and being captive somewhere?!

~Calm down,~ Her Jedi warned. ~Hear him out before jumping to conclusion.~

"How did you manage that?" She asked, her voice calm and collected.

Despite her growing anxiety about Rowan's possible capture, she felt a little more at ease with Savage being so close.

"Turns out this Bounty Hunter is after the Black Market dealer, he's given me a location on where to meet him where can formulate a plan so we both can get what we want."

 _Oh, thank the ancestors._ Charra thought at learning the gender of the Bounty Hunter was male.

"How do we know we can trust this guy?" She asked.

"We don't," Maul coolly replied. "However, should he try anything, he dies."

"Sounds simple enough, I've never liked Bounty Hunters, too unpredictable and they're only loyal to their next pay check." She replied through narrowed eyes.

 _If they only knew._ She thought with an inward smirk.

"True, but we will have the advantage of the Force." Maul pointed out.

"Always good," Charra agreed. "Did you catch this Bounty Hunter's name?"

"He called himself Cad Bane."

 

X    X    X

 

Savage and Maul shared a look of confusion as Charra left the den without saying a word. However, they both had felt her barely restrained rage that rippled through the Force. Her reaction to the Bounty Hunter's name said volumes, she knew the man and he wounded her in the past.

 _This could prove problematic,_ Maul mused then inwardly smiled. _Or... It could work to our advantage._

"Savage, make sure Charra doesn't destroy the ship in a blind rage." He said aloud.

Savage was already ten steps ahead of his brother, he was out of the den before Maul even finished his command.

The Zygerrian was easy enough to find, he felt the hurricane of mixed emotions through the Force, that and a sparring droid that came flying out of the room and shattered upon hitting the wall.

Stepping over the sparking droid, the Zabrak stepped inside and saw Charra standing on top of two downed Droids while beating a third into the ground with a Bo staff.

 

X    X    X

 

All Charra could see was Cad Bane's smirking blue face as she fought against the sparring Droids, even on their setting they posed little challenge for the Zygerrian. At least she knew her current attire didn't restrict your movements in combat.

As she pummeled one of the droids with Bo staff, she imagined wrapping her hands around that skinny blue bastard’s throat and squeezing the life out of him!

A large hand grabbed her Bo Staff, putting an end to her rage fueled rampage. She didn't need to turn her head to see that it was Savage, his scent filled her nostrils, a shadow in the back of her mind, always there and always watching.

"Perhaps," He rumbled. "You'd benefit from an opponent who's worthy of your skill set."

"Care to point them out?" She panted with a slight smirk.

Savage released his grip on the Bo staff before reaching out with Force, moments later a second one flew into his hand. He gave her a little smirk when she turned around so she stood face to face with him.

"Shall we discuss the terms of this bout?" She asked, giving the staff a little twirl.

"If I should win, you will tell me what this Bane has done to cause such a reaction from you."

Charra shrugged. "Sounds fair, and if I should win?"

"I'll look the other way so you can do what you wish to Bane."

She chuckled. "That was my plan."

"I figured. However, with me looking the other way, you get more time to retaliate."

"I like it. Best two out of three?"

 

X    X    X

 

The large Zabrak and Zygerrian end up having a tie breaker in a less cluttered area of the room. After several minutes of moans, growls, and desperate groping; they lay panting and trembling in the floor.

"We honestly have no control around each other, do we?" Charra panted.

"Doesn't look like it," Savage replied. "Does it matter?"

"No." She found herself admitting before scooting closer to the large male.

"Hold on a moment, I think I have a Droid's hand up my ass." Savage rumbled, earning a laugh from Charra.

Once the Zabrak was comfortable, Charra resting her head on his chest, a soft smile on her lips when she hears the steady beating of his twin hearts. As she listened, she lightly traced the muscles of his abdomen, grinning a little as her hand traveled south.

"You better be ready to finish once you start." Savage rumbled.

Chuckling softly, she pulled her hand back before turning her head to gaze at him, chin resting on one of his pectorals  before leaning forward to kiss his chin.

Savage's chest vibrated from a rumbling purr as he wrapping a burly around her. "I want you to share my bed from now on."

Charra raised an eye brow. "Mr. Opress, are you asking me to move in with you?"

"I believe I am."

She smiled before leaning forward again to kiss his nose.

"Is that a yes?" He asked, stroking her back.

"It's a yes." She purred before straddling his waist and claiming his mouth in a lazy but tender kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Jedi should be perfect... Charra is a perfect example of this. She's not just a Jedi, she's also a Zygerrian and must struggle to control that side of her and sometimes she fails in doing so.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, more characters. Mainly OCs and Cad Bane. Love the guy, Charra... not so much.

Charra was a bit more relaxed by the time they reached the coordinates supplied to them by Cad Bane. She growled softly as she felt his presents through the Force which could only mean that the Duros had arrived. Her ears went back as she heard the hiss of the airlock.

She calmed slightly as she felt Savage' chest press up against her back, she leaned against him as he nuzzled her with a soft growling purr.

"Easy, wait for the right moment." He rumbled, giving her ear a little nip.

Charra shivered and bit her bottom lip to prevent a mewl from escaping.

The Zabrak smiled at her reaction before turning his attention to Maul as he walked over to the airlock and opened it. He felt the Zygerrian tense up as she caught the scent of the other male; he gripped her upper arm as he inwardly growled. Just catching Bane's scent caused his Nightbrother instincts to kick in, he hadn't even met the other male yet and he already saw him as a potential rival.

 _Calm down,_ He told himself. _Charra hates this other male; he is not a threat to what is mine._

He managed to gain control over himself and release Charra's arm just as Maul brought Bane into the room where he and Charra were waiting.

Savage raised an eye brow as he saw what Cad Bane was wearing, he didn't have a lot of experience with Bounty Hunter's but Bane's attire was certainly an interesting sight.

"Bane will be our temporary business partner, once he has captured his bounty with our help, we will get half the supplies." Maul said in a cool manner.

"Half?" Savage rumbled, crossing his arms.

"A fair trade, a 50/50 split," Bane replied, chewing on a toothpick. "And you are?"

"My brother Savage and this is Reyna Jaeger, the captain of this vessel."

They had thought it best to give Charra an alias as it would prove difficult to explain why there was a Jedi Knight aboard a stolen ship. It had been Charra's idea to make her captain much to Maul's annoyance but he had agreed to it in the end.

Bane gave Savage a small nod before tipping his hat to Charra with a respectful. "Ma'am."

Charra raised an eye brow; did Bane truly not recognize her while in her current attire? She inwardly smirked at her luck; she could certainly use this to her advantage.

"We should come up with a plan of attack for when he we meet up with your black market dealer." Bane stated.

"My thoughts exactly." Maul replied with a slight smile before gesturing for Bane to leave the room.

Once Bane left, he turned his yellow gaze on Charra and glared at her before following after the Bounty Hunter.

"You wanna translate that, as you seem to be a master at reading Maul's moods." Charra asked, glancing up at Savage.

"He wants you wait," Savage rumbled. "However, if you do decide to make a move, warn me first."

Charra smiled softly before sauntering after Maul and Bane, she didn't have check if Savage was following. This whole operation was slowly becoming rather amusing.

 

X X X

 

"How many men does your target have?" Maul asked as they looked over a hologram of the building where they were going to meet the Zabrak's new friend.

"Seven in total," Bane replied. "However, Husk isn't the only Zygerrian in his crew. He has two others with him; a female named Quill and a male named Stone."

"And the others?"

Bane ran a list of names and species of the remaining four of Husk's men.

"Aside from Husk, who poses the greater threat?" Maul seemed to be the one calling the shots of their little briefing.

"Quill is dangerous but only at a distance, aside from her it's the Besalisk and the Trandoshan; they're walking armories." Bane replied.

"What of the other male, Stone?" Savage rumbled.

"Not a threat, he's a healer. He prefers to heal rather than fight," Bane glanced over at the female Zygerrian; she seemed to be lost in thought as she stared at the blueprint. Normally, he turn on the charm but given how close the large man was to the Captain he figured that they were an item that or the large Zabrak was simply being loyal by being protective. "I can see the wheels in your head turning, Captain. Is there something you wish to say?"

Charra turned her gaze towards bane and smiled softly before speaking with an accent, catching Maul and Savage completely off guard. "What exactly is the plan? I'd rather not get into a fire fight with a black market dealer, who knows why kind of weaponry this Husk has at his disposal."

She couldn't help but inwardly smirk at the surprised look on the Zabrak's faces.

"The three of you act as a distraction and give me time to find a spot to take Husk down." Bane replied.

"I see, and should that plan fail? Is there a backup plan?" Charra asked through slightly narrowed eyes.

Savage glanced at Maul when he noticed the subtle shift in Charra, the other male had noticed as well.

"There is no backup plan, once Husk is down the others won't retaliate as he doesn't have a second in command. They won't know what to do." Bane replied.

"A surprise attack with no back up plan?" She coolly stated, accent little intact.

She glanced up at Savage who stood close by on Bane's right; she put on the charm as she reached up and placed a hand on the side of the Bounty Hunter's face, a soft smile on her feline face.

Bane allowed the contact, completely focused on her and totally oblivious to the brewing storm on his right.

"It worked in the past." He replied with an arrogant smirk.

Charra stroked the Duros' cheek with her thumb she didn't to glance over Bane's shoulder at Savage, she could feel the brewing jealousy and territoriality of the typical male through the Force.

"That," She said, her gaze locked with his red orbs before dropping the accent. "Is a load of Rancor shit!"

Bane's eyes widened in shock then grunted as his head slammed into the table, knocking his hat off his head and caused the hologram to flicker. He hissed a little in pain as she pinned one of his arms behind his back, a large hand grasped his hand in a vice like grip as he fumbled for his blaster with his other hand.

"Don't even think about it." Savage snarled, teeth bared.

"Your Captain is a Jedi!" Bane protested with a snarl of his own.

"Oh, we're quite aware of that," Maul coolly stated, a smirk in his voice. "Let him up, Charra."

The Zygerrian growled softly before letting go of the Bounty Hunter, Savage let go of his wrist a moment later and remained close by.

Bane compose himself and cleared his throat before recovering his hat, he had been outplayed and no longer held all the cards. He glanced over at Charra and narrowed his eyes then spoke.

"If you wanted a face to face, Jedi, you could have sought me out... Your friend did."

Charra growled and flat out punched him dead in the face. "You through Rowan under the bus after a job went south, no thanks to you!"

Bane spot out a glob of blood into the trash before turning around. "Now I see why there isn't more Zygerrian Jedi, difficult to temper such a violent and treacherous nature."

If Savage hadn't stopped her, she would have most likely attacked again. "You drew first blood, let that satisfy you for now."

Charra's growled softly in reply but she managed to reign in her blood lust. She allowed Savage to pull her to his side an arm around her waist to assert his claim of her in front of Bane.

Maul let this continue for a moment longer before finally speaking. "If you're quite finished, let us continue."

Bane said nothing but cross his arms, a little surprised that Charra and Savage were indeed together given the fact that Charra was a Jedi and the whole no attachment rule that went with it.

"Now despite the turn of events, the terms of our agreement still stands; you will get your bounty and we get half the supplies."

"You're just not in charge of the plan." Charra smugly stated, leaning against the large male.

Bane ignored her and kept his attention on Maul. "Very well, what is your plan?"

"It's similar to yours actually." Maul replied before putting a hand up to stop Charra from shooting it down. It didn't stop her though.

"You can't be serious! Are you trying to get everyone killed, why don't you and I meet them instead? This Husk character would be less likely to screw you over if he saw that you were working alongside a Zygerrian." Charra pointed out.

"And you would know this how?" Bane asked dryly.

"It's... Difficult to explain," She admitted. "Zygerrians don't always get along, but they tend not to screw each other over... Unless there's something to gain."

"When Husk and I met, I informed him that it was only Savage and I. It would seem suspicious were I to show up with you." Maul replied.

Charra couldn't fault him for that, she didn't know this Zygerrian and aside from Rowan, she wasn't good at reading them.

"You said your plan was similar to Bane's, how exactly is it different?" She asked.

"You and Bane will be our backup, however you will remain hidden using the ventilation system." Maul made a gesture towards the hologram where pathways of the ventilation system appear red, standing out against the blue.

Charra was silent for a moment, thinking it over before glancing over at Bane. "Well, Bane? Think using the vents will work?"

"If we go in one at a time perhaps," He replied as he chewed on a toothpick. "But, yes, it could work."

She resisted the urge to flick the brim of Bane's large hat, instead she turned to Maul. "If I'm providing back up, I'm going to need my Lightsaber."

"No," Maul calmly replied. "You won't have use for it while in the vents."

"Well, can I have it back, one of them at least?" She was trying to remain civil.

The Zabrak appeared to think about it for a moment. "No. And the next time you demand them, I'm throwing them out the airlock."

The Jedi just stared at him for the longest moment before pinching the bridge of her nose. "Ok, you clearly can't tell the difference between a request and a demand. My request had been in a civil manner, I was asking nicely. If I had demanded them back, I would have taken one of Bane's blasters and pointed it at your head. See the difference?"

He raised an eyebrow before stating coolly. "My answer is still the same."

She gave a soft growl of annoyance but didn't press the issue. "Alright, so when does this little meeting start?"

"It starts in an hour, we're ahead of schedule. If only to get you and Bane in place before hand." Maul replied.

"I see and plan B?"

"The fact that you, Savage, and I are Force wielders should be enough for a plan B."

"And for those of us not gifted with this ability?" Bane all but growled.

"Shoot from behind cover, you should be fine." Charra replied with a wave of her hand.

X X X

She glared at Bane from the other side of the Den, she didn't like Maul's plan or the idea of working alongside the skinny blue bastard.

~Be patient,~ Her Jedi advised. ~Bane will be gone once he receives his target.~

Her Zygerrian gave a soft growl. ~Not fast enough, would it be too much to ask for Bane to get shot should Maul's plan go out the window?~

~Let's hope that doesn't happen.~

A ripple in the Force drew Charra's attention and Savage' familiar scent and presents greeted her.

"Trying to stop his heart with the Force?" He asked as he sat down beside her.

She snorted as she leaned into him. "I'm hoping he'll spontaneously combust if I glare hard enough."

The large male chuckled softly, wrapping a burly arm around her waist and nuzzled her cheek with a soft purr.

"Where's Maul?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Meditating."

She snorted. "Has he forgotten how much I hate Bane."

"I believe his exact words were to keep an 'eye on you' while in the same room as Bane." Savage replied.

Charra glanced over at Bane who was busy working on his blasters. "He said while completely unaware that you'd hold him while I beat the living piss out of him."

Savage smiled softly certainly like the idea, he gave her ear a little nip before replying. "You might get the chance after the terms of our temporary Alliance has been met."

She gave a soft mewl at the nip; he was certainly taking advantage of her sensitive ears.

"I guess I can wait a little longer." She breathed.

X X X

"You're gonna have to lose the hat and coat if this gonna work, Bane." Charra smirked as she worked to remove the grate.

Bane gave an annoyed growl in response.

"Hurry up, we have 30 minutes to get into position." She grunted as pulled the grate free.

"Keep your fur on, Jedi." Bane hissed as she he removed his coat and hat.

Charra rolled her eyes as she waited, glancing around to make no one was around to see them sneaking in.

"I'm done, let's go." The blue bounty hunter growled.

She raised an eye brow as she turned her attention back to Bane, he looked different with his hat and coat.

"What?" He snapped.

"Nothing, you just look different without your coat and giant hat." She commented.

"Just get in the grate." He replied through clenched fangs.

"I'm going, I'm going." She stated before crawling into the open vent, thankful that she wasn't claustrophobic.

She paused a few moments later as a thought crossed her mind then asked when she heard Bane crawl in after her. "You're not claustrophobic right?"

"I'll be fine," Came his gruff reply. "Now get moving."

Charra huffed and rolled her eyes before continuing her crawl through the semi tight space.

X X X

They crawled for a solid ten minutes before their first T-junction came into view, Charra knew from the blueprints they would need to go right. Reaching behind her with the Force, she checked on Bane to see if he was alright. He was holding it together, she could, however, smell his fear.

 _Just hold on a little longer, Bane. We're almost there._ She silently pleaded.

She couldn't use the Force to calm him as he was strong willed and his mind more so, she also had no desire to force her way in that would only do more harm than good.

She came within spitting distance of the junction when the sounds of ragging panting gasps filled and the potent scent of fear reaches her ears and nostrils. Their current position prevented the Jedi from look over her shoulder. Talking him out of his fear seemed to be her only option.

"Bane, listen to me, listen to the sound of my voice. You need to calm down, you are alright. Nothing is going to hurt you, you're safe."

His breathing hitched at her words, her attempts to calming seemed to be working that was until he started to hyperventilate.

"I-I have to get out!" He gasped, eyes wide with terror and darting around trying to find an escape route and finding none.

"Bane, listen-listen to me. You need to calm down- damnit."

X X X

Cad Bane's eyes widened in horror as the Zygerrian Jedi disappeared around one of the passage ways of the T-Junction! She was just going to leave him, abandon him and leave to rot in the ventilation system!? He had to get out, he couldn't breathe!

He closed his eyes, hoping that this was nothing more than a nightmare. A nightmare that he would soon wake up from!

"Bane, look at me." A soft voice cut into his fear.

He opened his large crimson eyes and saw a hand resting in his hand, he latched onto it like a life line.

"Bane," The calm voice repeated. "Look at me."

He lifted his frightened red eyes and saw that Charra had come back! She had used the T- Junction as a way to turn around so she could speak to him face to face.

"Very good," Charra's tone was soft and gentle. "Now I need you to listen to the sound of my voice and calm down. Can you do that for me?"

The Bounty Hunter nodding, hanging into her every word.

"Good. Now I need you to be breathe in and breathe out," She instructed as she continued to keep her voice calm and level. "Now, I need you to repeat after me; 'I'm safe and I'm not trapped' can you do that for me?"

Bane nodded again and did as she instructed, his breathing became more controlled as did his trembling.

"Good, again."

"I'm safe, I'm not trapped." He rasped, his crimson eyes locked with her silver-green ones.

After three solid minutes of this, the Duros was finally able to get a hold of himself.

"Are you alright, now?" Charra asked.

Bane nodded silently before speaking and letting go of her hand. "We should keep going."

"Of course, I'll just back on up and we'll get going."

Cad watched as Charra crawled away from him and vanished around the left hand of the section before reappearing again.

"Alright, let's go."

X X X

"How are you holding up back there?" Charra asked after some time had passed.

"... Really, you're giving me the silent treatment?" She commented when Bane didn't answer. "It's really no big deal, Bane. So you're claustrophobic, a lot of people are. Oh, and for the record, I wouldn't just abandon you in a ventilation shaft. An uninhabited Moon? Maybe."

She gave a soft annoyed growl at his continued silence, then paused when she couldn't find his scent. She reached out with the Force and realized that she was alone.

 _Oh, great._ She thought with minor annoyance.

If she had time, she would go look for him with the help of the Force, but she needed to get into position.

"Damn it." She hissed.

~Bane will be fine, should he have another attack, he will remember your words.~ Her Jedi advised

Charra growled again, not liking the idea of just leaving Bane alone and possibly lost somewhere.

 _When this is over, I'll find him just so I can kick that scrawny ass of his_. She vowed before forcing herself to continue on, silently praying that the Duros was going to be alright.

X X X

The Jedi gasped softly then reached out with the Force to prevent the grate from crashing to the floor, thus giving away her position and dooming the mission. She glanced around to make sure that none of Husk' men were in the back among the crates before crawling/sliding out of the opening and onto the floor. Once on her feet, she set the grate back in place before going to find a spot with a view of Savage and Maul.

"Still can't believe Husk agreed to this, that red Zabrak with the freaky robot legs looks a bit shifty." Growled a gravelly voice.

Thinking quickly, Charra hid behind a small stack of crates and quietly inhaled only to an unnaturally strong pungent odor assault her scent glands.

 _By the Ancestors!_ She exclaimed covering her mouth and nose.

That just had to be Gutt; the Trandshan, but she had never known them to smell like a rotting carcass. She wouldn't be at all surprised if Husk and the other Zygerrians with him had no sense of smell.

"He may appear to be shifty, but we don't have much of a choice in the matter. He and his brother have supplies that we need." Replied a cultured voice.

 _That must be Mercer._ Charra thought, already disliking the guy even though she had no idea he looked like. But he certainly talked like a certain Jedi master she didn't get along with.

~Now is not the time for petty grudges, focus on the task at hand.~ Her Jedi scolded.

"Why we back here again?" Gutt asked.

"Husk doesn't enjoy the smell of my Cigars and I enjoy your company." Mercer replied.

Charra's ears twitched when she heard the sound of a match bring struck.

"Gutt, Mercer. It's time, be ready for anything. The red Zabrak seems trustworthy, it's the big one that sets me on edge."

Mercer snorted. "You say that about everyone. Not that long ago you felt the same about Desh, now you share a bed."

Gutt cackled. "He just don't like bein' short."

Charra risked a glance from behind the crates and was surprised by the way Mercer looked.

Besalisk skin tones were almost always dark shades of green and brown. Mercer didn't fall into that color scheme, he was brightly green with blotches of brown and red. He looked like of those poisonous frog-snakes back on that Jungle planet.

Bane had been right, he was certainly armed to the teeth the same could be said about Gutt.

Simmons looked like am other Chiss; blue skin, glowing red eyes, and blue-black hair only it had a streak of purple to set him apart from others of his kind.

The Chiss rolled his eyes or appeared to as Chiss didn't exactly have pupils.

"Yeah, whatever. Just get your scaly asses moving." Simmons grumbled before walking away.

Mercer chuckled before lighting his cigar, smoke billowed around his face as exhaled. He cast a glance over to Gutt was now stood by a small stack of crates.

"You coming?"

Gutt's clawed hand twitched. "I'll be right there, there's something I need to do first."

The Besalisk raised an eye brow but didn't press the matter, truth be told he really didn't want to know.

X X X

Maul caught Savage's eye and the man gave a small nod, letting the other know that he had also felt the shift in the Force. Charra and Bane were in place, now everything could go as planned.

As he glanced around, Maul's eyes fell upon Quill, the Zygerrian female who sat on one of the crates. She unflinching met his gaze with obvious distrust in her gray eyes as one hand rested near her blaster, ready to use at a moment's notice. He inwardly smirked; he could easily kill her before a shot could be fired.

Her brother Stone was a different sort of creature, while Quill looked at him and Savage with distrust, the light brown furred male watched with quiet detached curiosity.

A sharp hiss of pain drew his attention over to the Chiss, he was busy tinkering with some electronics and judging from his short hair sticking up, he had just received a shock from it much to the amused snickering of the tan skinned Weequay nearby.

Out of Husk's entire crew, the Chiss and the Weequay were the only ones who weren't a threat. One was a technician the other a pilot, they would certainly hide should things go south.

Speaking of Husk, the dark haired burly male was checking over their inventory list on a data pad that Charra had set up.

"These terms appear reasonable," Husk spoke with a heavy accent, but he was easy to understand. "However, your list of requests is quite small."

"We didn't wish to appear demanding and cause mistrust between us." Maul coolly replied, ignoring Quill's snort.

Husk said nothing, though he appeared to understand this before noticing the red Zabrak looking at the black and blue R6 unit.

"That R6 unit hasn't worked in 6 months; it's basically a giant paperweight that Gutt and Mercer use for target practice."

As if on cue, the bright green Besalisk sauntered into view, lit cigar in his mouth much to the annoyance of the Zygerrians in the room.

"Didn't Gutt go with you?" Husk asked, wrinkling his nose at the cigar smoke.

"He'll be here, he just had to do something first." Mercer replied.

Husk growled. "Go get him, I don't care if he's in the middle of mauling a small animal, get his scaly ass back here."

"Of course, sir." The Besalisk rumbled before leaving again, clearly not looking forward to what he might find Gutt doing.

The dark haired growled again before shaking his head and muttering something in his native tongue. He put his hands on his hips before looking over at the R6 unit for the longest time before glancing back at Maul.

"Tell you what, I've been meaning to get rid of that unit for quite some time. As a token of trust and a possible future partnership, I'll give you the Droid to do with as you please."

Maul raised an eye brow. "How... Generous of you, I'm sure we can find some use for it."

He was more than certain there was a catch, however the look on Quill's face informed him otherwise and he had to bite back a smirk.

"Husk, you can't-" Quill started but a commotion cut her off.

Everyone's attention turned to the now returning Besalisk, only this time he wasn't alone. He was herding Charra towards them, arms behind her back, wrists being held by one of his four large hands.

"Don't move," Maul softly hissed as he saw and felt Savage tense. "You'll only make it worse."

Savage growled inwardly, his instincts were telling him to attack, to defend what belonged to him and put down any potential threat. He forced himself not to act, as he knew Maul was right. Besides, Charra could handle herself and she didn't appear distressed, if anything she looked annoyed.

 _Where's Bane?_ He wondered then glanced at Maul who clearly was thinking the same.

"I found this little minx snooping around in the back," Mercer announced once he was in ear shot of the group. "Found her with Gutt's blaster, had the 'safety' not be engaged, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Rookie mistake." Quill stated with a smirk.

"Did you at least find Gutt?" Husk asked, looking the other female up and down.

"Unconscious, but alive. My guess, she put him in a sleeper hold." Mercer replied.

"Impressive, there aren't many who can catch Gutt off guard and come out unscathed." Husk commented, walking over to get a closer look at the gray-blue female who was watching his movements like a predatory animal.

As he drew closer, he noticed that she appeared to have more feline features that other Zygerrians. If he had to guess, she had Cathar blood in her veins. He placed the tablet under her chin, making her look him directly in the eye.

"What is your name, my dear, and that of your clan?"

Charra mentally raised an eye brow as she looked the other male up and down, she wasn't impressed nor was her Zygerrian. Sure he was handsome, but he had nothing on Savage.

Husk raised an eye brow as the Zygerrian female gave him her name and the name of the Clan she came from. "I've never heard of this clan."

"It's a small noble family, but we're pretty high up there." Charra smoothly replied.

"Is that right."

~Choose your next words carefully,~ Her Jedi warned. ~We might end up walking into a trap if you don't.~

"If your family is a noble one then you must be either from a military family or the Slavers Guild." Husk stated, crossing his arm.

"Military family mostly. However, I decided to go a different direction, more room to maneuver in terms of protocol."

Husk smirked a little. "Can't say I disagree, Corrick Titus also chose the Guild over the military."

Charra shrugged or at least tried to with her arms trapped behind her back. "Can't say that I know this Corrick Titus."

Husk just smiled before backhanding the female with snarl.

Maul had to immobilize Savage using the force to keep him from charging, he was having enough trouble keeping his own rage in check. He wasn't sure where it came from but now wasn't the time dwell on it.

"You've been spouting nothing but lies since you've been here, every Zygerrian knows if you are born into a military family that is where you stay unless your mate is from the Guild." Husk snarled.

Charra spat out a small glob of blood before looking back at Husk, a small smirk on her face.

"My bad, and by the way... Did you a four year old cub teach you how to hit?"

Husk growled again, ears back and teeth bared. "You are a traitor to the Zygerrian people and our Queen."

Charra snorted and rolled her eyes. "Sorry to burst your self-important bubble, big guy, but I wasn't born on Zygerria. I was born on some Backwater planet whose name I can't even remember."

"Regardless of your place of birth, you're still Zygerrian." Husk countered poking her in the chest.

Savage wanted to break that finger, along with his entire arm.

"Oh, does that still qualify if I'm also a Jedi?" Charra asked, tilting her head.

Husk's eyes narrowed, taking in what she had just said.

"Impossible! No Zygerrian has ever been force-sensitive!" Quill snarled, hackles raised.

"She's not a pure bloodied Zygerrian, she has Cathar blood in her veins." Husk replied.

Quill raised an eye brow. "She's a half breed?"

"No, but one of her parents certainly was," Husk growled sounding disgusted by the idea. "What shame your ancestors' must-"

Charra's reaction was swift and unexpected; she slammed her foot as hard as she could on Mercer's then once hands were free shoved him with the help of the Force into a stack of crates before punching Husk dead in the face.

"I maybe pictures of my parents identities but you will not insult their honor!" Charra snarled as the infamous Zygerrian temper reared its head. "Why don't we settle this here and now, in the Zygerrian fashion beating the shit out of each other in a no-holds barred fist fight until one of us submits or dies."

Stunned silence met Charra's challenge, as everyone was still trying to contemplate what had just happened to Mercer only moments ago. Save for Maul and Savage as they both had a pleased smirk on their face.

Husk snorted after regaining his composure. "What is stopping me from simply taking you and your obvious Zabrak allies' captive to Zygerria where they can have a front row seat to your execution?"

There was a click of a blaster being activated as Quill aimed her now primed blaster at the two males.

Maul didn't seem phased by the weapon while a deep threatening growl escaped Savage at the sight of it.

"You might need a larger gun, Quill." Simmons stated, looking a bit on edge.

"Shut up, Simmons." She snarled without taking her eyes off the Zabraks.

Charra glanced at Quill, ears going back at the sight of the blaster being pointed at Maul and Savage. She growled softly before returning her attention back to Husk.

"Two things, one of them being Zygerrian law. Once a challenge has been called, you have no choice but to answer."

Husk gave a soft growl of his own. "And the second?"

The Zygerrian Jedi smirked. "The skinny blue bastard up in the rafters with a sniper rifle already aimed at your head."

Only three of Husk's men glanced up at the ceiling, due to the lighting it was too dark to spot the possible sniper.

"Very well," Husk snarled as he removed his gloves and unsheathed his claws. "Should I win this bout, Jedi, I will take you and your compatriots to Zygerria where after your execution, they will be processed and sold to the highest bidder!"

Charra growled softly. "It's a long way to Zygerria, Husk. However, if I win my compatriots and I walk away with resistance from you or your men."

Husk gave a dismissive snort before saying as arrogantly as possible. "Ladies first."

"Yeah, about that," Charra stated before punching him in the face. "I'm no lady."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CAT FIGHT!!!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zygerrian Cat fight!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It would seem a Zygerrian cat fight involves biting.

Charra hissed as white hot pain shot up the side of her head, if she had to guess, Husk's claws had raked one of her ears. She ignored it, she had to remain focused on the task at hand, otherwise she was going to lose to this pampered overly groomed male!

~Fight smart, we've never fought against another Zygerrian before.~ Her Jedi advised.

The Zygerrian growled, hackles rising. ~This is a fight between Zygerrians, not against another Jedi.~ 

Charra blocked several of his strikes and returned a few of her own, it soon became very clear that Husk had received the proper training while she only knew a few advanced moves on top of the basics that Rowan had taught her.

~I refused to lose to this bastard!~ Her Zygerrian snarled as she was pinned against the wall.

Charra pushed off the wall and at that same moment, clocked him in the jaw with her elbow. It was the same move she had used on Savage the first night she had been captured.

After blocking another right hook, Charra made the mistake of overextending in her counter attack, it left her open to attack.

A swift kick to the chest obliterated any attempt any counter move the Jedi could come up with as her back hit a wall, kicking all the air out of her lungs, momentarily stunning her. Giving the male plenty of time to get the female into a choke hold.

"Surrender," Husk snarled into her ear as he tightened his hold. "My combat skills are superior to yours, you know this to be true."

Charra gasped softly as the other slowly closed off her windpipe, she could feel herself slipping as darkness gathered around the edges of her vision. She barely managed to glance up, her gaze meeting the golden gaze of Savage; there was something his eyes that gave her strength.

With a snarl, she sank her teeth into the meaty part of his arm, forcing the male to release her with a shout of pain and surprise. The second she was free, she elbowed him in the jaw again followed shortly by a swift kick to the chest, if only to put some distance between them.

"I should have warned you," Charra rasped with a slight cough. "I don't give up that easily."

_Especially when I have something to lose_. She added to herself.

X    X    X

Savage instantly noticed a change in Charra, he felt it more than actually seeing it. It was different, there seemed to be a feral like intensity to her now. His eyes narrowed as he felt something brought on by her wildness, a flicker of darkness that was steadily growing stronger.

It felt wrong to feel darkness coming from his female, he felt a strong need to extinguish the dark flame before it became too strong and consumed her. He took a step forward to end it only to be stopped by Maul's soft warning growl.

"This is her fight, let her finish it." Maul coolly stated.

Savage looked back at Charra who appeared to have Husk on the defensive, her attacks more vicious and powerful. He growled softly but otherwise remained still and silent as he continued to watch the brawl between Husk and Charra.

X X X

The tables had quickly turned now that Charra had tapped into her Zygerrian savagery, ignoring the warnings her Jedi was giving off about giving into her anger and rage. Easier said than done when someone's teeth were digging into her arm instead of her throat.

~Oh, so that's how you want to play it,~ Her Zygerrian snarled. ~Two can play at that game!~

Charra lunged forward and sank her teeth into the most sensitive part of Husk' ear. The moment the Zygerrian male let go, she hit him as hard as she could before putting him in a choke hold.

"Submit," She snarled, tightening her hold. "You can't beat me, now submit!"

"I will never submit to a traitor," Husk gasped, a snarl in his voice. "Y-Your mate and his brother... will become slaves to Z-Zygerria. Maybe not today, but they will be SLAVES!"

Charra's eyes flashed as her Zygerrian snarled in indignation. "Not if I have anything to say about it!"

_"Charra, stop!"_

X X X

She let Husk's body drop and took an unsteady step back, heart pounding in her ears as what she had just done started to sink in. She had killed before, but never like this... not in a rage and never in anger...

She wasn't even aware of Savage' presence until his scent filled her nostrils, overpowering the smell of blood and sweat.

Savage reached out to touch her face only to pause at the sound of a primed blaster.

Charra didn't even protest when the large Zabrak moved her behind him to protect her from Quill who had picked herself up from the ground and now had a blaster pointed at them.

"If you know what's good for you," Maul stated, voice deceptively calm. "You'd put that away."

"He's right, Quillow," Stone answered, finally speaking. "Charra won the bout and the deal that was struck is still valid."

"Why?" Quill rasped, tears in her eyes. "When the only reason this... This traitor won is because she used her powers!"

"She didn't use the Force," Maul stated. "If she had, the fight would have ended before it had even started. Shall I demonstrate?"

Stone was quick to respond. "No, that won't be necessary, I've seen what your kind is capable of."

Maul raised an eye brow, but chose not to comment.

The remaining male Zygerrian approached his sister, placing a hand on the one holding the blaster. "Put the blaster down, Quillow. It was an honorable death. Husk always wanted to go out fighting and he did."

"How do you know what he wanted, Stone?" Quill snapped without taking her eyes off Charra and Savage. "You've only known Husk for five years, I've been his mate for 20! And he did not want to die at the hands of some half breed freak!"

Savage growled softly, sorely tempted to knock that blaster out of her hands, however, with Charra in her current state, he stayed put.

"I'd listen to your brother, little lady," Bane commented as he strolled around the corner, coat and hat back on. "Don't make things worse."

"Weren't you in the rafters?" Simmons asked, peeking out from behind the deactivated R6 unit, while Desh peaked out from behind a couple crates.

"I was until, little Miss Jedi blew my cover." The blue bounty hunter replied with minor annoyance.

"Simmons, check on Mercer." Stone ordered, maintaining eye contact with Maul.

"Yep." Was all the Chiss said before he bolted to check on the unconscious Besalisk.

Quill's once steady hand shook before she lowered the blaster with a choked sob before walking away towards the open ramp of their ship.

Charra managed to snap herself out of her trance like state and slipped out from behind Savage' shadow to approach Quill.

"Quill, I-"

A single shot from a blaster rang out, increasing the already strong scent of blood.

A roar of outrage ripped through the complex after a split second of stunned disbelief that had followed the blaster being fired.

Said blaster clattered to the floor as Quill clutched at her own throat while levitating six feet from the ground, a tortured choking gasp escaping her lips.

"Stop!" Stone shouted, moving to stand between his sister and the enraged tattooed giant.

"Give us a reason why." Maul growled as Bane holstered his blaster and hurried past Savage in order to tend to the gash on Charra' side from the blaster bolt.

"Unless you know what the severing of a 20yr old mating bond feels like, you don't have the right," Stone replied, his voice calm and steady. "Quill is not in her right mind, I know because I've been where she is now."

Maul narrowed his eyes, trying to reign in his own anger at what had just happened.

"I know the agony of trying to pull yourself back together after losing someone who has always been by your side, inside your very soul! Losing that part of you is a pain I wouldn't wish on anyone, not even my worst enemy."

"Savage," Maul growled after a long silence, save for the choking gasps of Quill. "Release her, Charra needs to be attended to."

Hearing Charra's name snapped Savage out of his rage and any thoughts of murdering were put on back burner as his priorities swiftly shifted to Charra's well-being.

Quill fell to her hands and knees and finally broke down before crawling over to her mate's body and sobbed into his chest.

"Desh, when you're finished being a coward, escort Quillow to the brig," Stone ordered as Simmons escorted a dazed Mercer onto the ship. "You can use our medical bay, once she is patched up, we can complete our transaction."

"Of course." Maul replied with a slight growl.

Bane moved aside to allow Savage access to Charra; he could almost feel the large man's agitation and didn't wish to be on the receiving end of his rage.

Charra gave a pained whimper as Savage picked her up and cradled her in his arms. She managed a small pained smile at the soothing growling purr and the tender nuzzle that followed.

X X X

"Fortunately, the blaster shot only grazed your... Friend, she'll be back on her feet in a few days." Stone stated as he injected Charra with something to help her sleep and heal. "You can move her back to your ship tonight, though I should warn you the painkiller I injected her with has an interesting side effect on Zygerrians."

Savage who hadn't been paying that much attention only heard 'side effect on Zygerrians' growled softly, turning his yellow gold gaze on Stone.

"What kind of side effect?" He demanded.

Stone remained calm while Simmons looked as though he was about to piss himself. The Chiss glanced around for the exit only to learn if things went south he would most likely die because he would have to get past the Bounty Hunter if he somehow managed to slip past the massive Zabrak.

"Nothing serious, I assure you. Some become giggly, others talk... A lot." Stone replied before seeing to Charra's bite.

Savage watched the other male's every move; he didn't like the idea of another touching his female. However, as he wasn't a healer, he didn't have much of a choice. Stone seemed to be aware of his uneasiness with another male being so close, as once he was finished tending to Charra's arm he stepped back to a respectful distance.

His attention turned to Maul who was sitting quietly, looking quite murderous as the red Zabrak glanced around.

"Shall we complete our transaction?" Stone asked, feeling his heart speed up as those sunburst eyes turned to look at him.

"I suppose we should, one can only have so many ideas on how to slaughter another's crew." Maul coolly replied.

Stone kept his face as neutral as possible while Simmon's face turned a pale shade of blue, the Chiss glanced at the grate and wondered if he would have time to remove it and make his escape just in case.

X X X

When Charra regained consciousness, she felt groggy and had no idea where she was. She would have started panicking had her Jedi training not kicked in, that and the familiar scent of the ship's medical bay. She cursed softly as she also caught wind of Bane's scent.

"Good, you're awake." The Bounty Hunter stated somewhere off to her right.

"Ugh, you're still here?" Charra grumbled.

"Well, hello to you too." Bane replied.

"Bite me, blue balls." She hissed.

"I'll leave that to Savage and I see Rowan's charm has rubbed off on you." He shot back.

"How long was I out?" She demanded, ignoring that last comment about Rowan.

"Three maybe four hours."

"Savage and Maul?"

"Busy with the transaction, I volunteered to watch over you while they were out."

"Oh, how kind of you," She replied, tone dripping with sarcasm. "I'd thought you would be long gone by now, cashing in your Bounty for Husk."

"That thought had crossed my mind, but I had no desire to be ripped apart by your boyfriend and his brother," Bane admitted. "Besides, you seemed pretty happy to see me two hours ago."

"What?!" Charra exclaimed, making the mistake of sitting up to fast only to end up making herself dizzy, so she lay back down, just until the room stopped spinning. "Ugh, bad idea... What are you talking about, Bane. I'm never happy to see you."

"True, but this audio recording says otherwise." Bane replied with a smirk.

"What audio..." Charra trailed off as she heard her own voice.

 _"You're still here? Oh, you do have a heart. That's sweet of you,"_ A clearly stoned giggle. _"Can you believe that is the first time I've been shot?"_

"That doesn't prove any-" Bane cut her off by putting up his pointer finger.

 _"Really?"_ Came Bane's familiar drawl. _"You're a Jedi, I'm sure you've been shot before."_

 _"Shot at, actually. There's a HUGE difference between getting shot at and getting shot."_ There was an astonished gasp. _"My 'getting shot' cherry popped."_

Charra growled softly, she couldn't believe she had said that! In front of Bane no less and the blue fucker had recorded it!

"If I had the strength, I'd come over there and beat your skinny blue ass, Bane." She growled.

"Shh, there's more." Bane replied, clearly enjoying himself.

_"Hey! What does my ear look like, is it shredded? Does it look gnarly?"_

_"It's only nicked; you can rest easy knowing that."_ Bane had replied with an amused chuckle.

_"Have Maul and Savage seen my ear, where are my angry cactus' or is it cacti?"_

_"They're going over the terms of the transaction with Stone. And yes, they've seen your nicked ear, now why don't you get some rest, little miss chatterbox, so you can get your strength back."_

"Why in the hell did you record that?" Charra demanded once the recording had finished.

"Let's call it insurance." Bane replied with a smirk.

Charra growled and forced herself off the medical berth, she rested her hand on in order to keep herself steady.

"Get back in the bed, Charra, before you hurt yourself." Bane stated.

"How about I insurance you upside the head?" She shot back.

"That doesn't make sense."

"It's not supposed to; I'm clearly still high from whatever I was given. Delete the recording before I come over and rip your eyes out."

Bane crossed his arms. "You couldn't tear grass out of the ground in your current state. Now get your Zygerrian ass back in that bed."

Charra narrowed her eyes, ears going back as she growled. "Make me."

Bane raised an eye brow. "Really, you're going to act childish?"

"Yep." She replied glancing at the floor to make sure it was clear of anything that could trip her.

"You're more like Rowan then you think." Bane commented. "You both tend to act childish."

"Compared to you, Rowan was a saint." Charra snapped back, taking an unsteady step forward.

"Seriously, Charra get back on the berth and lay down, I'd rather not force you to do so." He huffed in annoyance when she continued her advance.

He shook his head and rose from his seat; it would seem that he would have to force her back to the berth.

"Are you really going to make me do this?" Bane asked.

"Do what?" Charra replied she was almost within striking distance, just a few more steps.

"Force your uncooperative ass back onto the berth before you pass out." He was completely aware of how close she was getting, even if she managed to strike a blow he doubted she could do any damage in her weakened state.

"Delete the recording, now." She growled/panted once she reached him.

"I will not."

The Zygerrian growled before slashing out with every intention of ripping his throat out with her claws. Her claws never made contact as the Bounty Hunter had caught her wrist and now had a slight smirk on his face.

"Let go." She growled ears back.

"I will if you get back on the berth." He countered.

"Delete the recording." She tried jerking her wrist from his grip; she cursed her own weakened state when she couldn't dislodge his grip.

"What is going on in here?"

Charra and Bane turned to see Savage filling the doorway with his large burly frame, his eyes narrowed when his gaze fell on Bane's hand on Charra's wrist. The Bounty Hunter let go of her hand at the soft growl that emanated from the Zabrak and quickly explained as to why he had been touching his female.

"Your Jedi lover won't listen to reason and lay back down, she might listen to you."

"Finish unloading the supplies, I'll take care of this." Savage rumbled.

Bane was all too happy to leave the medical area; he barely managed to avoid getting hit by Charra's right hook to the back of his head on his way out.

"Was that really necessary?" Savage asked after Bane had left.

"Completely." She replied, feeling a little light headed.

Savage seemed to sense this and by her side in three long strides and rested a hand on her back to steady her.

"You need to return to the berth to rest and recover, Charra." He rumbled.

"I'm fine, Savage. I've had worse this flesh wound before, I once volunteered to lure a loose Rancor into a trap. Spent a month in Bacta Tank when that backfired." Charra replied, trying to ease the giant's mind. "I'll be fine in a few days."

Savage raised an eye brow, but remained convinced. "You still need to rest for that to happen, I can sense your fatigue."

Charra sighed softly, shoulders sagging in defeat. "Yeah, alright. Fine."

Savage smiled softly before picking her up and cradling her close, ignoring her protests.

"Savage, I can walk. It's only ten feet, I already did it once." She huffed.

"Silence, you stubborn woman." He replied in a teasing tone.

Charra huffed again; she didn't have the energy to swat him, so instead she simply rested her head against his chest.

"Is Maul sulking around the cargo bay?"

"No, he's getting the rest of the supplies. He'll return shortly." Savage replied as he gently laid her down on the berth before pulling up a chair so he could be close to her. He even took her hand in his own when she held hers out.

X X X

Maul easily persuaded Desh to look away as he entered the brig to have a little chat with Quill. He now stood in front of her cell, where she laid on the cot her back to him, shoulders shaking from her crying as mourned her mate.

The Zygerrian sniffled once before speaking. "Are you here to kill me?"

"As tempting as that would be, I am simply here to give you a warning and you'd be wise to listen to it." Maul coolly stated, though his sun burst eyes were saying something entirely different.

Quill rolled over and sat up, her red rimmed eyes meeting Maul's smoldering ones that held the promise of violence.

"I'm giving you your life, however it is mine to take should you not heed this warning," Maul growled softly. "Come near me or my family again, regardless of intent, I will not hesitate to tear your heart out with my teeth."

Quill swallowed the lump in her throat, believing every word the Zabrak was saying. She could still feel those phantom fingers wrapped around her throat.

"Remember that feeling, for if our paths do cross... No one will be able to stop me, not even your brother."

The Zygerrian lowered her to the floor, fear and misery radiating off her. "I... Understand..."

Satisfied, Maul left the brig "compelling" Desh to forget he had even entered the brig. He had a ship to return to that and the growing desire to put an entire Galaxy between said ship and the events that had transpired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it the pull of the Dark that had caused Charra to kill Husk? Tell me what you think.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath of the shooting

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Bane asked as he found Charra wondering around the cargo hold and going through the supplies and items they had received from Stone.

"I have been resting for the last six hours, I know my limits. As long as I don't overdo it, I'll be fine." Charra replied with a slightly annoyed growl.

"And yet, you're still grumpy." Bane shot back, keeping his distance.

"It's not you I'm currently annoyed with; it's Maul and his need for multiple jumps to Light Speed in the last four hours." The Zygerrian huffed.

Although, the Zygerrian Jedi was still peeved about the recording, she was far more irritated with the red Zabrak. Maul refused to answer to anyone as to his reasoning for a third jump to Hyperspace and because of this they were now low on fuel. It would be another 24 hours or so before they could part ways with Cad Bane.

Charra glanced over her shoulder when she heard the striking of a match; she turned to see Bane light up a cigar.

"Try not to set anything on fire, Bane," She commented before removing the lid of a rectangular shaped crate, her eyes widened lightly in surprise. "Well, what do we have here?"

"What did you find?" Bane asked, exhaling cigar smoke.

He watched as she reached into the crate, but he didn't see what she had pulled out. Curious now, he walked over to the Jedi to see what she had found that had clearly surprised her.

Cad heard the unmistakable sound of a Jedi weapon igniting, however it didn't quite register until it was too late. Searing pain lanced up his arm and he gave a shout of pain and surprise as Charra lashed out with the Saber. He stumbled back into a nearby crate, looking at her in shocked surprise and betrayal.

"Oh, don't be such a kit, Bane. Your arm is fine." Charra stated with an amused chuckle.

Cad looked down at his arm and sure enough the limb was still attached to his body. He looked back at the Jedi, too stunned for words.

"It's a sparring saber; hurts like hell getting tagged by it but it lacks the lethality of its counterpart," She explained, leaning her hip against the crate. "Younglings train with them before they construct their own Light Sabers."

"It looks exactly like a light saber, only the blade is almost white." Bane stated as he walked back over to her, although he stayed out of reach of the false yellow bladed saber.

"That's how you tell them apart from true lightsabers, that and the sound is different as well." She stated before the Duros a little demonstration.

As Bane watched, he noted that the sound was in-deed different. Instead of the deep vibrating rumble all sabers gave off when ignited or waved around, it was a slightly high pitched warble. He took an involuntary step back when she pointed the tip of the saber at him before extinguishing the blade.

Charra smirked a little before returning the hilt to the crate. She took a better look inside the crate and noted the different hilts of the sparring sabers. She saw at least three duel bladed saber hilts among the single blades. How Husk acquired these, she didn't want to know or even think about.

She wrinkled her nose when the smoke of Bane's cigar filled her nostrils. She glanced back at Bane and noticed that he appeared deep in thought while looking at her.

"What?" She asked before raising an eye brow. "I can almost see the wheels in your head spinning, Bane, so spit it out."

Bane took a long drag from his cigar, exhaled smoke before speaking. "I'm just realizing that you're a crap Jedi."

Charra scoffed and crossed her arms. "Do you want to get drop kicked out of the air-lock?"

"Hear me out first," Bane countered as he took another drag from his cigar. "Every Jedi that I've come across has always chosen the diplomatic path first, you didn't. That entire situation with Husk for example; you could have talked him down, been civil. Instead, you challenged him to a fist fight."

"Husk was a Zygerrian, Bane. You have a better luck herding cats then trying to talk a Zygerrian out of selling two people that you've come to care for to the highest bidder," Charra replied before sighing softly and leaning against the crate. "I think it's because I am a Zygerrian that I tend to take a more violent route."

"True, however, you're still a Jedi and I've seen you be civil before."

Charra raised an eye brow but let him continue, she wanted to know what the Bounty Hunter was getting at.

"Yes, you are a Zygerrian and your species tend to be rather violent. However, you are also a Jedi, there has to be some kind of happy or neutral medium in there somewhere."

The Jedi sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose before speaking with a slightly annoyed huff. "Don't you think I haven't tried? There's no How To handbook for being the perfect Zygerrian Jedi."

Bane waved his hand dismissively. "Being perfect isn't everything, my advice; don't be perfect and blaze your own path."

"I don't think it's that simple for me, Bane." Charra admitted.

Cad raised an eye but remained silent, knowing she would explain.

"I... Felt something moments before I killed Husk. Something dark-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there, I don't have the Force so I'm out of my element. Talk to Savage or Maul about this area of crazy."

Charra scratch the back of her head uncertainly. "Savage is learning and Maul is a different animal entirely."

"Regardless, you should still talk to them about it; I'm just a Bounty Hunter with no Force sensitivity or what you Jedi call it." Bane stated before tossing the remains of his cigar in the trash.

"No, you said it right. However, I don't think you need the Force to understand it." Charra replied, walking away from the crate towards the deactivated R6 unit.

"And I choose to remain ignorant of its properties." Bane stated.

She chose not to comment, it was his decision to remain ignorant to the Force, and it wasn't her place to judge. She heaved a small sigh before sitting down in front of the deactivated droid.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm going to see if I can get this little working."

He raised an eye brow and crossed his arms. "Do you even know how to accomplish that?"

"Nope," She replied, briefly glancing at the Bounty Hunter. "But I figure if I tinker around enough, something might happen."

Bane shook his head before walking towards the door. "You're on your own in that endeavor."

"Oh, you're more than welcome to rat me out to Maul and Savage when you report back to them." Charra coolly stated.

Bane paused midstride and turned his slightly narrowed eyes at her. "I wasn't here to spy on you for them."

"Sure, sure." She replied with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Bane gave an indignant snort before leaving Charra alone in the Cargo hold and to her own devices.

"So, little one," Charra softly stated aloud. "What can I do to awaken you?"

After a long minute of silence, the Zygerrian reached out and placed a hand on the domed head of the droid and closed her eyes and losing herself inside the Force. Another minute past before a small smile reached her lips.

"Hello, there, little one."

X X X

Bane remained silent as he watched the two Zabraks engaged in Close Quarters combat, it was difficult to say who had the advantage in the rout. Savage had strength and endurance while Maul had speed, agility, and more experience. However, considering it was only a training session there was no true winner.

The Bounty Hunter crossed his arms as he watched and waited for the match to finish. While he waited, he thought back to his brief conversation with Charra, it was clear that killing Husk had spooked her a little bit. He was more than certain she had killed in the past, but always with her saber. However, killing someone with you bare hands was different... It was more personal.

_"I... Felt something moments before I killed Husk. Something... dark..."_

If he had to guess, Charra had felt the pull of the Dark Side whatever that meant, he didn't understand any of it. However, the Dark Side was considered to be a huge deal to the Jedi and regardless of how much of it she had felt at that moment, it had been enough to startle the Zygerrian.

A heavy thud disrupted Bane's train of thought. Glancing up, he saw that Maul had beaten Savage and had pinned him to the floor with one of his robotic bird like feet pressing down on his broad chest, no doubt knocking the air out of his lungs.

Maul said nothing for the longest time before removing his foot from Savage' chest and holding out his hand for the large Zabrak to take.

"Your skills in close quarters combat are improving, apprentice." He commented, pulling Savage to his feet.

Savage gave a small nod in reply before walking towards a bench to grab a towel to wipe the sweat from his brow.

"Enjoy the show?" Maul commented as he turned his attention to Bane.

"I won't lie, it was impressive," Bane replied, leaning against the wall near the weapon's rack. "I will admit I haven't seen many sword wielders actually engage in Close Quarters combat."

"Speaking of which, what's Charra up to?"

Bane glanced over at Savage who was busy putting his armor back on; the Bounty Hunter was more than certain that he was listening intently.

"Well, she's not resting," Savage paused, armbrace in one hand. "She's snooping around the Cargo Bay, my guess... She doesn't want to think about what happened with Husk."

Maul raised an eye brow. "She's maybe a Jedi but she has killed in the past, Savage and I overheard a few of her men say that she had cut down a Trade Federation Commander. Why would Husk's death bother her?"

"Killing someone with your bare hands isn't the same as taking someone out with one of your blades or with a blaster. It's more... Up close and personal," Bane glanced at Savage again, his expression was difficult to read and one of his hands had become a fist. "And there seems to be some Dark Side/Light Side related issues, so don't be surprised if you come to talk to you about it."

Maul appeared deep in thought while Savage looked as though he wanted to tear something or someone in half. That quickly changed when the door slid open and Charra rolled in, she was sitting cross-legged on a flatbed cart, one of the rectangular crates sitting in front of her, the second sitting behind her.

That wasn't the strangest thing however; it was the previously deactivated droid pushing the cart into the sparring/training room that caught their attention.

"What?" Charra asked as the flat bed cart rolled to a stop, the droid remained a safe distance away, obviously a little uneasy about the three males in the room.

"How is that droid even working?" Maul asked after a long moment of silence.

Charra shrugged. "Call it a hunch, I figured if I messed around long something might happen."

Bane gave a soft snort of amusement. _She's lucky the droid didn't explode._

"A hunch? You do realize you might have put all of us in danger by messing around with its inner workings." Maul stated as Charra removed herself from the cart.

"It's only three feet tall, Maul, I doubt it could reach high enough to slit our throats," Charra countered before bending over to pick up one of the crates; however Savage beat her to it, surprising her a little, she quickly recovered and glanced over at Bane. "If you're quite finished looking pretty, why don’t you come over and help, Bane?”

Bane rolled his eyes, but walked over to the flat bed cart, giving the droid a wide berth as though afraid it could go haywire at any moment.

"I'll go get more crates," Charra stated, getting back on the flat bed, turning her attention back to the small droid. "Alright, back to the Cargo bay."

The Droid made a series of beeps and whistles before extending a clamp/claw to grab the middle bar in order to pull it backwards and out the door.

"If we all die in the middle of the night due to oxygen deprivation, I'm holding you personally responsible for all of eternity!" Maul called after her.

"Oh, no, the burden." She replied tone dripping with sarcasm, moments before the door slid shut.

X X X

The next 24 hrs. were a bit tense, not because of the R6 unit who was later dubbed TC9 and Maul watched it like a hawk ready to take it out at a moment’s notice, it was mainly due to the fact that Savage was actively avoiding Charra.

Cad Bane wasn't making things any easier, he seemed to enjoy stirring the pot and only stopped when Maul had threatened to rip his guts out using only his bird like feet. The tension eased a bit when the Bounty Hunter returned to his ship, but the tension remained over the course of the next three days. 

It became clear that Savage was actively avoiding her or giving her the silent treatment. Whatever was going on, greatly confused and annoyed the Jedi.

Maul, to some degree seemed to understand what was going on with his large brother and refused to relay said knowledge to Charra.

"It's not my place to tell you," Maul had said after Savage had done one of his disappearing acts on the second day. "He will tell you when he's ready, not before."

Charra growled softly. "Fine, he'll know where to find me when his overly pointy head is no longer up his ass."  
That wouldn't be difficult figure out, considering there were only a few places Charra could go to be alone, this also included her old quarters. 

On day three, the large Zabrak was going to great lengths to avoid her and giving her the cold shoulder when he had no other choice (save for jumping out the nearest air lock) to be in the same room as her.

~Perhaps this is for the best,~ Her jedi coolly stated as Charra headed towards her old quarters. ~We're already too attached and this won't be a clean break.~

Her Zygerrian gave a soft growl of annoyed, hackles slightly raised. ~If he wants to break it off, he should have the balls to say to our face!~

Charra stopped at the door of her old quarters, she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as she could feel the beginnings of a headache. She took a moment before shaking her head and going inside to meditate to calm her mind and regain her balance in order to fight back the urge to put her foot up Savage' ass.

X X X

Charra's annoyance with Savage was nearing its breaking point when day six rolled around. The ship had become a powder keg and all it would take was a spark to set it off.

The Zygerrian took a large majority of her frustrations out on the sparring droids, now that they had the false sabers she took them out in record time.

The only ones on the ship that were somewhat sane were Maul and TC9. Despite being a little quirky, the Droid was trust worthy, as for Maul... The red and black Zabrak seemed to be acting as a neutral party to all the crazy going on. Yet he still refused to tell Charra anything as to Savage increasingly annoying behavior.

"Alright, let me get this straight, Savage volunteered to scout the area... During this planet’s Month of Darkness?" Charra asked as she stood by the counter to pour herself a cup of warm tea.

Maul blinked a look of surprise on his tattooed face as he sat down at the table. "You know what planet we're on?"

"I wouldn't say that, I only know of three systems that have an entire month of nothing but darkness. I figured we're on one of them as it's barely past Noon," Charra replied before taking a sip of her tea. "Anyway, back to where Savage is scouting the area, you do realize he's pretty easy to spot, even in the dark?"

"He is actually quite stealthy for a man of his size," Maul replied then smirked a little. "He did manage to catch you off guard back on that planet."

She snorted softly before speaking. "Oh, please, my worst case scenario was running into General Grievous. You and Savage weren't even on my radar."

Maul hid his smirk as he drank from his cup, pleased that he and Savage had managed to catch her off guard.

"Don't let it go to your head, Maul. You got lucky that and the heat played a part," She shot back then raised an eye brow when she caught the look on his face. "What's on your mind, Maul? I can almost see the wheels in your head turning."

Maul shrugged before speaking. "It's more of a rematch, really as revenge isn't the Jedi way."

Charra just rolled her eyes, they had traded mockingly good-natured barbs in the past, and this time was no different. Her eyes narrowed slightly before replying.

"Wait, are you suggesting a Light saber duel in the dark? That... Actually sounds fun," She glanced at Maul for a moment before setting her cup down. "Does this mean I'm getting my Light Sabers back?"

Maul appeared to be thinking about much to Charra's growing annoyance.

"Really, Maul? I've been on this boat for maybe three months and I only tried to escape once. I think I've earned a bit of trust."

Maul's response was a small nod and a long slow sip of his cup, his yellow gaze locked on the Zygerrian with unyielding intensity.

"And how would I know that once I gave you your weapon back, you won't use it against me or Savage?" Maul asked, his eyes watching her carefully.

Charra knew she would have to choose her next words carefully as no simple answer would satisfy the Darksider.

"I guess you don't." She found herself saying, silver-green eyes meeting his yellow sun burst ones with equally unyielding intensity.

Maul's face betrayed no emotion to her statement as he lowered his cup back down; his voice was just as neutral as his face. "An interesting answer coming from a Jedi, although not entirely unexpected… given the circumstances."

Charra's eyes narrowed for a moment before tensing slightly when her eyes caught movement from under the table. She relaxed only slightly when the Zabrak placed two items on the table; one she recognized as her saber, the other however, made her skin crawl just being near it.

"What is that?" She asked, despite already knowing the answer.

"I think you know, Master Jedi." Maul smoothly replied, not taking his eyes off her, while she couldn't take her eyes off the small red and gold pyramid, her weapon completely forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it's safe to say shit just got interesting, any theories as to why Savage is acting the way he is? Love to hear from you!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy your smut!

"W-Where did you find it?" Charra asked, finding it difficult to swallow.

"The same planet where we found you, who ever owned that cache clearly had no idea what they had in thier possession." Maul replied as he ran a finger down one of the edges, like a lover's caress.

He smirked a little when the Zygerrian all but jumped back when he picked up the Holocron and held it in his open palm.

Charra flinched when the Holocron rose from the Zabrak's palm and clicked open; flooding the kitchenette with a blood red glow. Her hackles rose as she felt the chill of the Dark Side and its power.

Her Jedi sprung to the forefront when her Zygerrian showed an interest in the relic, wanting to know what secrets were held inside.

~Leave the kitchen, no good will come if we stay.~ Her Jedi advised, trying to dissuade the Zygerrian's continued interest in the Holocron.

"Just think of what we could learn from it.~ The Zygerrian stated awestruck, scaring Charra even more when she felt the urge to move forward, just to be closer to the relic.

~It is a Sith Holocron; a relic of the Dark Side, no good will come from using it.~ The Jedi cautioned however, the Zygerrian's persistence was growing steadily stronger and Charra was almost certain she could hear her own pounding heartbeat.

~But we could use it against our enemies, use it to protect...~

~No! The path to hell is paved with good intentions; this relic is a source of evil. GET OUT. NOW.~

Before Charra could do anything, Savage stumbled into the kitchenette, the strong scent of alcohol clung to him like a blanket.

Maul's eyes widened as he sae the stated his brother was in; the Holocron snapped shut as the Darksider's attention was elsewhere. The red glow vanished as did the chill when the relic landed back on the table, seeming nothing more than a harmless souvenir in its closed state.

"What happened, did you challenge a Rancor and a small pack of Wookies to a drinking contest?" Charra asked, wrinkling her nose at the pungent smell.

Savage shook his head to clear his vision, trying to get a lock on Charra and Maul; all he managed to do was make himself even more unsteady and dizzy.

"N-No," He rumbled, his words slurred and a bit unintelligible. "I need... I need to..."

"What you need to do is sleep it off." Charra stated before walking over to the drunken unsteady tattooed giant.

"Crap!" She hissed in surprise as she took his full weight, but due to his current state, it was drunken dead weight.

Maul rose from the table to help, only to be stopped by the withering glare and threatening growl that emanated from the Jedi. The Zabrak blinked in surprise and took a step back.

This wasn't a Jedi standing before him now; this was a Zygerrian female protecting what belonged to her from a potential threat. Maul stepped back some more until he was in the corner, by doing so he was letting her know that he wasn't a threat to the male that belonged to her.

Charra gave him another withering glare, her ears back before leading the massive shit faced Zabrak out of the kitchen.

Maul stared after her, still a bit surprised by what had transpired. His gaze dropped from the door back to the Holocron; his eyes narrowed briefly before reaching out with the Force, having it rest once more in the palm of his hand. He then closed his hand around the relic before stalking out of the kitchen to meditate.

X X X

Charra had to use the Force to open the door to Savage's quarters before leading/dragging his drunken heavy ass over to the bed so he could sleep it off.

 _He's gonna have one hell of a hangover when he wakes up._ She thought, having Savage sit down on the bed.

"Alright, let's get these armor pieces off so you can sleep." She stated after stretching out her back.

Savage remained as Charra removed his shoulder guards and armbraces; she could do this pretty much blindfolded after having done this so many times.

"C-Charra... I need..."

"To throw up? Can't say I blame you." She replied, setting the bracer down to retrieve a trash can.

"No, n-not that... I need to tell you that... Over by the desk." He mumbled, trying to in the direction of the desk.

Charra raised an eye brow as she set the trash infront of him before heading over to the slightly cluttered desk.

"Gold disc." Was all Charra could make out when she turned to look back at the Zabrak, unsure what he wanted her to see or find.

She found it under what seemed to be a crude drawing of a duel bladed saber hilt. She looked at the drawing for a moment before returning the disc to Savage then moving to sot behind him in order to loosen the under armor protecting his torso. She was nearly finished when a hologram caught her attention.

When Savage spoke again, his voice was raw with emotion. "I didn't always look this, before... I was smaller... Weaker. It was Nightsister magic that changed me."

Charra set the stiff under armor on the floor before looking at the hologram of two male Zabraks; she recognized one of them as Savage. The tattoos, strong jaw, and nose were a dead giveaway. He certainly looked different; he wasn't as tall or as muscular as he was now.

"Who is the other male?" She asked, remaining behind him.

"My brother, Feral... He's dead. I... Killed him."

She closed her eyes for a moment to get her thoughts in order and control her emotions.

"What happened?" She asked a moment later, tone neutral.

Savage took a moment before speaking. "Several males including Feral and myself were selected to be the potential mate of a Dathomir witch"

Charra's inner Zygerrian growled softly at idea of a past rival, a protective possessive jealousy weld up inside.

~Whoever this Witch was had better not show her face,~ The Zygerrian growled, hackles raised. ~Savage is mine.~

"And how does one prove himself worthy of being the mate of a Dathomir Witch." Charra asked after reigning in her Zygerrian instincts, at least for the moment.

"Normally, when more than one Witch desires the same male they will fight each other until one submits," Savage replied, a small smirk on his face then soon fell. "However, this Witch also wanted a servant."

Charra narrowed her eyes. "I'm not sure I follow."

She didn't like the answer he gave her; on top of being the mate of some witch, Savage had been used as some kind of sleeper agent against Count Dooku.

Her hackles rose, she forced herself relax before placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Go on."

Savage ignored the urge to rest his hand on hers, as comforting as her touch was it wouldn't be enough to ease the pain. He exhaled through his nose before speaking, voice raw.

"After I was infused with their magic, I had to pass one final test... Killing my brother."

Charra's hand fell from his shoulder and into her lap, if only to avoid sinking her claws into him upon hearing his confession... After doing everything in his power to protect Feral, Savage' final test had been to kill his own flesh and blood...

_Why is it that when comes to the Dark Side you have kill someone just to prove you can? There are other ways to prove strength!_

Savage didn't even notice that her hand was gone from his shoulder as he finished. "In the end, the Witch betrayed me so did Dooku... It was all for naught. I killed Feral but I still failed..."

Charra moved around so that he was sitting beside the large male, silver-green hard. "What happened to Feral wasn't your fault."

Savage opened his mouth to protest but was silenced by the Jedi's impressive growl.

"It's not your fault, Savage. You weren't in your right mind, they had no right to do this to you, make you kill your brother just to prove a point."

She felt silent after her small rant, but damn it all, Savage deserved so much more then to be used like that! And that Witch who had done this wasn't worthy of being a mate, just thinking about it, made her claws itch.

~Careful, control your emotions, less they control you. Vengeance only leads to more pain, it is a never ending cycle.~ Her jedi stated, ever the voice of reason.

Charra took a moment to compose herself before getting off the bed to gather the armor she had removed and headed over to a small chest.

"If you are worried that I will think less of you now that I've seen your previous appearance," She commented, placing the armor inside the chest. "Rest easy, I'd find you sexy regardless."

The Zabrak came up behind her, wrapped his burly arms around her, and nuzzled her neck with a drunken purr. Despite his inebriated state, he felt himself growing hard and the desire to have her strengthened. Taking a hold of her chin, he tilted her head so he could claim her lips with his own.

Charra didn't need to smell his desire to know that he was aroused; the bulge pressed up against the small of her back was evidence enough.

A muffled mewl escaped her lips as his hand slipped inside her pants to caress her slit with one finger before slipping past her silken folds. His tongue slid inside her mouth as she moaned softly, his thumb and forefinger found her clit and rolled the nub between the two digits.

"S-Savage..." She panted, cheeks flushed and warm. "We can't... You're drunk."

A cry escaped her as he nipped her ear, an effective way to silence her protests.

"Don't worry; I'll be fine in a few minutes." He growled into her ear, enjoying the feel of her shivering against him.

Charra seriously doubted that but decided to let him continue, he'd pass out soon enough.

~Might as play along.~ Her Zygerrian purred suggestively ~Have a little fun while we're at it.~

She bit back a whine of loss as she moved forward, causing Savage's finger to slip out of her sheath. She slowly turned to face the Zabrak a small playful smirk on her face. The male growled softly before backing her into the wall, trapping her there with a hand on either side of her head.

 _There you are_. Savage mused, seeing the shift. _Mine._

His woman, his Zygerrian Jedi...

"Remove your clothes before I tear them off you." He ordered, smirking as he saw a brief flash of excitement and desire dance across her silver-green gaze.

He gave an unsteady step back to give her room to remove her clothes, once naked however; he trapped her against the wall again and captured her mouth with his own. His mouth swallowing her mewls of pleasure as two fingers slipped past her silken folds into her center while his thumb found her swollen nub. His tongue slipped past her lips and into her mouth, muffling her mewls and whimpers.

He broke kiss so he could watch her face as his fingers reduced her into a mewling mess. He would make sure that she would only want him, only his touch would satisfy her that the only male she would want inside her was him; Savage Opress!

He knew she was close just by sound alone, with great reluctance he removed his fingers from her sheath, earning him a bewildered and annoyed glare.

"The bed. Now." He growled before she could say a word.

Charra didn't need to be told twice, the idea of truely submitting to the Zabrak excited even her Zygerrian who believed that they should submit to no one. Her heart raced as she watched the make remove his shirt, eyes glued in the taught muscles of stomach, loving how they flexed and shifted with move he made.

The bed dipped as he climbed on to the bed, his yellow eyes gave off a predatory gleam before leaning down to take her mouth in his. The kiss only lasted a second before he broke it to purr/growl into her ear, knowing it would send shivers through out her body.

"You are mine, never forget that."

Charra instantly felt her Jedi's disapproval of this entire ordeal. Her Zygerrian rolled her eyes, she planned on enjoying herself.

~If we're going to get kicked out of the Jedi order then we- Oh!~

Charra's back arched off the bed and mewled with pleasure as Savage's tongue delved between her silken before she cried out as he latched onto her swollen clit and gentle suckled. His name spilled from her lips he slid two fingers into her center, increasing the pleasure as he thrusts in and out of her.

The yellow and black giant purred with approval as he continued to torture her with his lips and fingers, enjoying the sounds that escaped from her.

"N-No, don't stop!" She protested when he unexpectedly pulled away, leaving her dangerously close to the edge.

"In a moment, play with yourself." Savage rumbled, he needed to remove the rest of his attire if only to free is painfully hard erection.

He didn't take his eyes off the Zygerrian as she pleasured herself, cheeks flushed as whimpering mewls escaped her.

 _Mine,_ He thought proudly, his mind becoming clearer thanks to the Nightsister's magic. _My mate._

Savage had first noticed it when he had felt... something dark beginning to stir during Charra's fight with Husk. He hadn't realized that the thread was their bond until after the sudden flare of shock and pain shot across it when Quill fired the blaster at Charra. He wasn't sure if his Jedi mate was even aware of their bond, if she wasn't then he wouldn't fault her for it.

"Savage..." Charra mewled, getting his attention.

Purring softly, he climbed back onto the bed, took hold of the hand she had between her legs, and brought the two glistening digits into his mouth.

Charra had never felt more turned on in her life, she bit her lip as she watched the Zabrak clean her digits with his tongue.

Once they were clean of her fluids, he removed them from his mouth and settled over her; his golden gaze locking with silver-green ones before capturing her mouth in a lazy yet passionate kiss. His mouth swallowed her moan as he slid inside her warm sheath, the walls of her sex rippled around his hardened erection. After giving her a moment, Savage pulled part way out before surging back inside, setting a slow and steady pace, he wanted this to last for as long as possible.

Charra wasn't even aware that her barriers were down until after she felt him brush up against her mind. It was a bit unnerving but she didn't recoil from his presence, she welcomed it. He filled her mind like a fog, swirling around her before wrapping around her like a blanket.

She felt... Everything that was Savage, he wasn't holding anything back, his devotion and loyalty to her and the guilt he felt for failing to protect her as he had with Feral.

She gave his mind a soothing caress and to her surprise it worked, she smiled softly before losing herself in the ocean of fog that was Savage. He would kill for her, he would... Die for her. She hoped it wouldn't come to that; she would certainly do her damnedest to make sure that didn't happen.

"Mine," Savage growled, burying his face into her neck as he thrusts deeper and faster. "You are mine."

"S-Savage," Charra panted, sinking her claws into his back. "I'm-"

"I know," He rumbled as he nipped at a pulse in her neck, always enjoying that mewls and whimpers that fell from her lips. "You are mine, Charra Chell, no other male can have you."

Charra nodded, her pleasure filled gaze meeting his intense golden gaze, she reached up and placed a hand on the side of his face; the face of her mate.

"I am yours... And you are mine..."

Savage purred with approval at her words then watched as her climax tore through her. Hearing his named being cried out, pushed him over the edge he tossed his head back and roared.

X X X

Charra welcomed the greater weight of the male as he rode out his climax, she purred into his collar bone as she could still feel him inside her mind, it was oddly comforting. She shivered at the mental caress from Savage before he withdrew behind his own mental barriers, leaving... What was that?

"Is that...?" She trailed off.

"A mating bond? Yes, and it's stronger now." Savage replied as he settled behind her, an arm draped over her waist.

Charra fell silent, feeling a little foolish for failing to notice the bond sooner. It would certainly explain why he had always been at the edge of her mind, always there and always watching.

He nuzzled her neck and gave her ear a little nip before rumbling. "I don't fault you for your ignorance."

Charra purred softly as she snuggled against him, a small smile on her face.

 _Mine_. She thought as she drifted off to sleep, listening to familiar breathing of the man behind her. _My mate._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed yourselves, there will be another round in the chapter. ^_^


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charra makes a dark promise while once again in the presences of the Sith Holorcron. Oh, and more smut. ^_^

Charra sat on the edge of the bed as she watched Savage sleep, he was no longer snoring like a Rancor as his breathing was soft and even. She turned to glance at something off to her left when she felt the bond stir; she turned her head to look back at her still sleeping mate.

 _*Why are you dressed?*_ Savage asked through the bond before opening his eyes.

She smiled softly before answering via the bond. _*There was something I had to and walking around naked didn't seem appropriate. How's your head by the way?*_

Savage smiled a little before reaching up with a large hand and pulling the Zygerrian back into bed, a small chuckle escaping her in the process.

"My head is fine, the perks of Nightsister Magic," He replied as Charra shifted around so she could snuggle up against him. "And what required you to leave here fully clothed?"

Her only answer was to reach out with the Force, a moment past before a steaming mug of tea floated towards them.

Savage snorted as he sat up to retrieve the mug from the air, he brought it under his nose to identify what kind of tea she had given him.

"Green tea with a hint of lemon." He coolly stated after an inquisitive sniff before taking a sip.

"Show off." She countered with a small smile.

She felt his amusement over the bond before he set the mug down on the bed side table.

"Now," He rumbled, voice tinged with lust. "Where were we? Oh, yes... Getting you undressed."

Charra chuckled softly; she could feel her desire stirring upon sensing the Zabrak's own desire. "Yes, well, before get started, I was speaking with Maul and he suggested a rematch of sorts during this planet's Month of Darkness."

"A lightsaber duel in the dark? For that to work, you would need your saber." Savage replied with slightly narrowed eyes.

"Way ahead of you, big guy." She stated with a grin.

She reached out with the Force again and in a matter of seconds, her light saber flew into her back.

"Maul returned your lightsaber?" Savage asked, surprise in his tone.

"No, I stole it from his quarters," She replied, biting back a laugh as her mate's face went from surprise to worried shock. "Cool your jets, Savage. I didn't break into Maul's quarters; he returned my saber while I was making your tea."

"Just like that?" He replied, feeling a bit relaxed, as dealing with an irate Maul wasn't something he wanted to think about.

Charra shrugged. "I'm sure there's a catch in there somewhere. I'm no better than a Padawan when it comes to reading Maul's moods."

With a soft grunt, she sat up in the bed before getting off it and heading over to the still slightly cluttered desk. She then noticed the weapon's rack, how had she not seen that before? She guessed that Savage had just recently put it up. With a small shrug, she placed her weapon the rung below her mate's. She felt a bit guilty as the details to the return of her weapon had been entirely different.

X X X

_Charra had found Maul in the Cargo hold, like many times before he was meditating in the center of the room. She took a step forward and paused when she saw the Sith Holocron hovering a few inches away from his face._

_Her Zygerrian growled softly, not interested in the Holocron at the moment, she was here for an entirely different reason. The Jedi remained silent, for once willing to let the Zygerrian take the lead in this situation._

_Now that Savage was her mate, Charra felt that she needed to have a little chat with Maul. She was basically going to pick a fight with an easily agitated animal, but she felt it was necessary now that certain things had changed._

_She took a moment to gather her thoughts before heading over to the meditating Sith Lord; she ignored the dark presence that all but oozed from the Holocron. The scowl on her face would have made Dooku proud as she slapped the Holocron aside, cutting off the eerie red glow and the flow of information as it snapped closed upon clattering helplessly to the floor a few feet away._

_Maul opened his eyes, looking only slightly annoyed as he met Charra's scowl._

_"What exactly is your plan for Savage?" She asked, ignoring the stinging sensation brought on by slapping the Holocron aside._

_"I'm not sure what you mean, Lady Chell." Maul coolly replied._

_Charra bit back a growl, Maul may have sounded calm but she had heard the mocking tone when he called her 'Lady Chell'._

**~Remain calm,~** _Her Jedi advised._ **~He will most certainly try to get you to lose your temper. Don't fall for it.~**

_"You know exactly what I mean, Lord Maul," She fought back a smirk as she saw the brief flash of anger dance across his sun burst eyes. "What do you have planned for Savage?"_

_"He is my apprentice and as my apprentice I am training him as you yourself have witnessed. Are you questioning my teaching methods?"_

_Charra snorted softly. "It's not your methods that concern me, Maul. At least not at this point in time, it's your motives."_

_Maul said nothing as he rose from his sitting position, inwardly smirking as the Jedi tensed slightly and took a step back. No doubt, she was expecting an attack of some kind, he simply walked past her to retrieve the Holocron._

_"And what exactly do you believe my motives are." He asked, brushing dust off one side of the tiny pyramid and inspecting it for damage that he knew wasn't there. He was interested in what had riled up the Zygerrian this sunless morning._

_Charra made sure to keep Maul in her of sight, it would be foolish to have her back to him._

_"Oh, you're easy, Maul. You're all about revenge, power is a close second but it's all about vengeance. It's all you seem to think about," She replied with a slight shrug. "You claim that Savage is your apprentice, that in doing so you wish to pass on what you have learned, as is the right of anyone who wishes to teach."_

_Maul slowly turned his attention to the Zygerrian Jedi; he had a feeling that she was just getting started._

_"You want to improve his skills with a Lightsaber? I say go for it. You wish to teach him the ways of the Force? More power to you," Her silver gaze met and locked with Maul's. "You wish to go on a revenge fueled rampage? That fine... however, leave Savage out of it, I will not allow you to take him down with you."_

_Maul narrowed his eyes that sounded like a challenged mixed in with a threat. He decided not to act on it unless he was certain he could find a way to defuse it and assert his dominance._

_"Do tell," He hissed. "Just how do you plan on preventing that from happening? As it is obvious that Savage will follow me regardless."_

_Charra's ears went back. "I have nothing against revenge; I have wanted it myself in the past. You've seen my hatred for Cad Bane first hand. However, it would seem that that your need for revenge is centered around the Jedi and your former master for abandoning you after your supposed death."_

_Maul growled softly, teeth bared. Charra had no doubt that she had struck a nerve._

Good. _A small part of her thought._

_"But, I said before, if you want to go on a revenge killing spree across the galaxy, that's fine. Just remember to dig two graves; a mass grave for your victims and one for yourself," The Force crackled around them, the Sith Holocron felt another dark presence close by and began to emit a soft red glow. "Two graves Maul. For you and your victims, there will not be a third, should there be a need for a third grave then I will dig it and put Savage in there myself!"_

_Maul blinked, taken by surprise at the fierceness of words. These were not the words of a Jedi or even that of a Zygerrian protecting what belonged to her, this was something entirely different. He glanced down at the Holocron and noticed the faint red glow; he narrowed his eyes before reaching out with the Force._

_He quickly realized that the Holocron was fueling her rage, not just her own rage but her rage as a Zygerrian. He needed to defuse the situation without provoking an attack, the only option he could see that didn't involve violent or the need to assert his dominance was to try and appeal to her better nature._

_Easier said than done as the Holocron only seemed to agitate her further when Maul mentioned that as a Jedi she didn't kill in cold blood regardless of the situation. It would seem that her Jedi was not in control at the moment._

_"We've been on this boat for almost three months perhaps more and you still no nothing about me or what I am even capable of," Charra growled. "Not as a Jedi, but as a Zygerrian. A Zygerrian who is more than willing to kill her own mate in order to protect him from his brother's insane need for revenge."_

_Maul growled softly but he remained where he was, he couldn't move not without the possibly of an attack on Charra's part. He just needed to get the Holocron a safe distance away to break its hold on her. He just needed to keep her talking. "Killing your mate is taboo, even you should know that."_

_He moved the Holocron behind his back; he paused when Charra growled before speaking._

_"Oh, I'm quite aware of that fact. However, if killing Savage keeps him from becoming a miserable wretch like you, then I will except the consequences," The rage appeared to be slowly ebbing away from the Zygerrian the more distance Maul put between them. "Savage... Savage has suffered enough at the hands of the Nightsisters and his brief time Dooku."_

_Maul saw the last dregs of rage flash across Charra's eyes as she stated in a cold tone._

_"Do not test me, Maul. You will fail."_

_Charra knew it was foolish, but she still turned her back on Maul as she turned to walk away. She needed to put some distance between herself, Maul, and his damned Sith Holocron._

_"Charra!" Maul hissed before she reached the door._

_The Zygerrian tensed, ready for a fight as she heard Maul's familiar footfalls. She growled softly as she turned to see the Zabrak standing just out of reach, they both knew full well that wouldn't stop her._

_Their eyes locked for a long tense moment before Maul held something out to her. It took a moment for Charra to realize that it was her Lightsaber, she gave the Zabrak a curious look before reaching out a grasping the hilt._

_Maul held onto the saber for a moment longer, his sun burst eyes locking with hers. "Control it."_

_Charra's eyes narrowed slightly, a little confused by what he meant by 'Control it'. She turned to walk away when he released her lightsaber._

Attack him. _That small voice whispered as Maul walked away._ Attack him, now!

_Her heart skipped a beat as she felt the impulse to attack, what made it worse was that she tightened her grip on her lightsaber and the itch to activate the blade and cut Maul down. She forced herself to leave, all but fleeing the Cargo Hold just to put some distance between her and that urge to murder, to cut down Maul right then and there._

_She swiftly came to the conclusion upon reaching the kitchenette that going to pick a fight with Maul even a verbal one had been a bad idea._

X X X

Just what was Charra capable of as a Zygerrian, she had often wondered that, more so now that she had been away from the Jedi for nearly three months, it had to something more than just an urge to murder someone like Maul. Just trying to think about it made her feel like a Padawan again, uncertain of her power.

She gave a distracted purr when Savage nuzzled her with a deep rumbling purr of his own.

"Is something on your mind, you seem distracted." He asked after a moment.

"It's nothing."

The large man raised an eye brow; he didn't believe her for a second.

"I have ways of making you talk, Charra." He growled in a menacing tone.

Charra snorted as she turned around in bed, an amused look on her face. "Are you going to torture me with sex or by withholding it?"

Savage chuckled softly, dropping the menacing tone. "I'm sure I can think of something. However, how about we skip the torture and you simply tell me what seems to be the problem?"

His mate pouted, although her eyes were bright with amusement. "Oh, and here I was looking forward to being tortured with sex."

"Charra..."

"Oh, fine," She huffed. "I would have settled for the mind trick."

The Zabrak raised an eye brow then waved his hand in front of her face; it was more of a dismissive wave then actual ability itself.

"You will tell me what is wrong as you get up and undress."

Charra smiled before getting back out of the large, as she was in her Jedi attire she planned on taking her time. If only by herself time, gather her thoughts, and get Savage fired up.

"I know nothing of my Zygerrian heritage." She admitted once she had removed her robe and began to loosen her sash-belt.

Savage narrowed his eyes as he sat up, resting on one elbow. "What do you mean?"

"Because I was born on some unimportant backwater world and have little to no memory of my parents, I am completely ignorant when it comes to anything related to Zygerrians," As the sash-belt dropped to the floor, her tunic parted showing blue-gray fur and the outline of her breasts. "The only thing I know about my kind is what everyone else knows; they're violent, short tempered, and will tear your throat out at a moment's notice."

"I see and what have your instincts told you?" Savage replied, feeling himself growing hard as he continued to watch.

She took a moment to gather her thoughts before speaking again.

"To protect and serve the clan and those under its protection," Charra didn't see the point in explaining who represented at the Clan. "Now... They're been telling me to protect what's mine."

She met the man's golden gaze as she let the tunic fall to the floor, leaving her half naked before her mate. The very one she swore she would kill just to save him from his brother's deep seeded need for revenge. Could she though, could she kill her own mate? As a Jedi, no, Jedi do not kill in cold blood as Maul had pointed out earlier. What about as a Zygerrian, could she do it then? She still didn't know what she was even capable of and that scared her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a large warm body pressing against hers; his deliciously musky scent filled her nostrils. His very scent sped up her heart, it also didn't hurt that his hardened length was pressed up against her still covered sex. A soft mewl escaped her as his teeth nipped at the tender flesh of her neck.

"That's not all that is bothering you, is it?" He rumbled, burying his nose into her neck to inhale her sweet scent before moving upwards towards her ear.

"No," Charra whispered, mewling softly as Savage nipped her ear. "A-As a Jedi... I know what I am capable of..."

The Zygerrian shivered as he moved behind her, his broad chest pressing up her back while one large hand slid down and vanish past her waist band. She felt him smile into her scruff, not because he found her wet and wanting but because she was lacking undergarments.

"How thoughtful of you," He rumbled as he stroked her lips with two fingers before slipping past them, purring at the mewling moan as he found her swollen nub and began to stimulate it further. "Go on."

Charra's thoughts were becoming jumbled and unfocused as pleasure and lust fogged her mind.

"You're not playing... Ah! F-Fair!"

Savage smirked before giving her ear another nip. "You're the one who wanted to be tortured with sex."

"C-Cheeky... Smug… bastard." She half growled half mewled.

He abandoned her clit and slipped the same two fingers into her heat, smirking as the walls of her sheath clinched around his thrusting fingers.

"You were saying, my mate?" He purred, enjoying her sweet moans and the scent of her desire, it fueled his own.

Savage knew that his Jedi mate couldn't think straight, he could it over the bond, and he also knew what she was trying to say.

As a Jedi, Charra knew her capabilities and what she was able to do, however, the same couldn't be said for her as a Zygerrian. She was in the dark, lost in unknown territory.

He nuzzled her neck and purred into her ear.

"We'll find out together." He rumbled as he used a finger to move her head slightly before claiming her mouth his own, swallowing her breathless mewls.

 _*Shall we try something new this morning?*_ He asked over the bond.

 _*W-What do you have in mind?*_ She softly moaned as he gently kneaded one of her mounds with his free hand while still slowly thrusting his fingers in and out of her.

An image of the male taking her from behind crept over the bond, her face buried into the sheets with her ass in the air getting pounded into by her mate. She shivered and nearly climaxed then and there or would have if said mate hadn't removed his fingers from within her.

"Stop doing that!" She growled, cheeks flushed and eyes unfocused.

Savage just chuckled as he examined the two digits, coated with her juices. "Relax, now remove your pants and lay on your side so I can prepare you."

Charra's eyes narrowed, curious. "Prepare me?"

"You've never been mounted and taken from behind, if you are not prepped, mating will be painful and I do not want that." He replied before nuzzling her with a soft purr.

X X X

Charra gasped, trying not to tear the sheets with her claws as Savage slowly stretched her tight opening with one long finger.

"Relax, my mate." Savage rumbled giving her ear a tender nip at the same moment sliding a second finger inside, it was coated her juices from only moments before they had begun.

The Jedi cried out as her eyes shut tight at the strange and new sensation fortunately, it didn't hurt as much as she thought it would. Aside from it being a little uncomfortable, she could handle it, his rumbling and comforting purrs eased the discomfort and after a moment or two had past she began to enjoy the feeling.

"That's it," Savage purred into her ear as she pushed back against his fingers with a soft breathless groan. "Good girl."

Charra purred at his praise then gasped his name as a third digit joined the first two stretching her further. Her claws pierced the sheets, tearing the fabric as the male slowly twisted the digits inside her, a cry of pleasure escaping as she pushed into his fingers. She was vaguely aware of movement somewhere off to the side, but any idea of what it could be was overshadowed by the strange yet pleasurable sensation emanating from her backside.

"Are you ready, my Zygerrian Jedi?" Savage rumbled his length painfully hard the broad head glistening with precut.

Heart in her throat, she nodded, despite feeling nervous she trusted Savage. More than she trusted herself.

Before removing his fingers from her heat, the Zabrak leaned forward again and nuzzled her cheek, chest vibrating with his signature deep rumbling purr.

The female bit back a pathetic sounding whine as the male removed his fingers from within her. She felt his amusement over the bond and he gave her ass a teasing squeeze.

"I will ruin you, if you don't hurry." She growled with no real heat.

"Taking you this way is not the same as claiming the warm cavern between your legs," He coolly replied. "It cannot be rushed."

She growled again but said growl turned into a gasp as the broad head of her mate's cock pushed into her tight opening. It took all her self-control not to rip a bigger hole in the sheets at the slight burning sensation shooting up her back. Barely aware of the growling groan of the large man behind her, his large hands gripping her hips.

"By the Gods, you're tight." Savage growled through gritted teeth as he pushed deeper inside her tight sheath.

Charra's arms trembled and she had to lower herself so she was resting on her forearms, the slight angle change tore more breathless mewls from her throat.

The male gave a slight growl at the movement, his hands resting in her hips tightened to keep her still as he fully sheathed himself within her tight unused heat. They remained still as Savage resisted the urge to claim her with hard dominating thrusts, reminding himself that this was the first time she had been mounted and mated from the rear.

Charra trembled with anticipation, she knew that she was going to be sore, she didn't care she wanted it, wanted him. She let that desire and need drift over the bond, a moment later she felt his claws dig into her hips as he began to move, a breathless groan of pleasure escaping her.

Hearing his mate's moans and whimpers as he rocked in and out of her chipped away at his self-control, he knew she could handle a rougher ride hell, a week or so ago they had mated on rough terrain while supposed to be scouting the area and she had enjoyed it. He still bore the bite mark on his shoulder where she had bitten him during a particularly strong climax.

A playful purr crept over the bond followed by his mate's voice, tinged with lust.

_*If you know that... I can handle it, then why hold back?*_

She looked over her shoulder, meeting the Zabrak's gaze where he saw the shift in her eyes... That was all that took to break his control. With a deep rumbling snarl, he pushed her face into the sheets before taking her ass with hard dominating thrusts, growling _**Mine!**_ over the bond.

He pulled her up so her back was pressed against his chest, his hand wrapped around her throat but not in a threatening manner. It was for something to hold on to as he sank his teeth into her shoulder, returning the bite she had given him. The Zygerrian jerked in his grip and the cry that escaped from her nearly caused him to spill his seed.

 _Mine_. He silently growled, vowing to kill anyone who dare come between him and Charra, no one would survive his wrath!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Charra's Zygerrian blood seems to be more susceptible to the pull of the Dark then she realizes...


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A duel in the dark.... perhaps a bad idea....

Maul used the sparring saber they had picked up from their trade with Husk to keep his skills sharp. He wasn't sure where the Zygerrian had acquired them and he didn't care as he could now train or spar with Savage without worry about losing or cutting off a limb.

He closed his eyes before exhaling through his nose while he went into a meditative state as he began his training exercises. While in this state the Zabrak remained aware of his surroundings and with his mind calmed and silent he was able to recall past dreams. Save for his night terrors thanks to a mental block he had no desire to destroy.

As he twirled the sparring saber with a downward strike, an image of Obi-Wan stirred in the forefront of his mind. No, that wasn't it...

The Jedi haunted his dreams every now and again; they varied from time to time each as vivid as the last. The Zabrak was either slowly killing auburn haired man or mating with him in various positions and places.

Although as tempting as it was to revisit a sex dream of Kenobi bent over a desk, pushing against Maul's thrusting fingers... It wasn't what he was trying to remember. Said dreams had begun to haunt his sleep shortly after their encounter with Husk and his crew.

These dreams were vivid to the point where he felt he could almost feel it, almost taste it... Yet, despite this clarity they would shatter and fade the moment he woke.

Maul slashed at the air before executing a back-flip then delivered a back handed saber strike that would slice anyone in half.

The unexpected scent of honey brought a fragmented memory to the forefront of his mind; honey colored eyes! Remembering that brought an ache to his twin hearts that he didn't understand. He furrowed his brows as he tried to bring back more of his dream anything that involved those eyes... Movement in the Force broke his concentration as he felt a small round object hurtling towards him.

Without even opening his eyes, Maul snatched the object out of the air, his sun burst eyes opened in confusion upon feeling the fuzzy texture of the round object in his hand. It was a Honey Peach... It would certain explain why he smelled honey a moment ago.

"I didn't even use the Force that time."

Maul rolled his eyes; this wouldn't be the first time Charra had thrown something at him during his exercises. However, this was the first time she had thrown fruit in his general direction.

"What tipped you off?" Charra asked as Maul turned his attention towards the Jedi and his brother.

"The smell of honey," Maul replied as deactivated the sparring saber and placing it back on the weapons rack. "Where's your droid, it's normally following you like a lost kitten."

"Probably changing the activation code your quarters again." Charra replied with a small smirk, another Honey Peach in her hand.

Maul doubted that as he had personally threatened the small Astro-mech that if he changed the code to his quarters again he would jettison the droid out the airlock and into the nearest sun or asteroid field.

When he spotted the Honey Peach in Charra's hand, Maul wondered if the Zygerrian would throw it at him. He was proven wrong when she tossed it to Savage who easily caught it in his large hand.

"So I was thinking," The Jedi commented, leaning her hip on one of the crates. "We should spar a little bit; warm up before we have our duel."

"Weren't the two of you doing that this morning?" Maul asked an eye brow raised a slight smirk on his face.

Savage nearly choked on his Honey Peach.

"You're awful." The Zygerrian commented before turning her attention to Savage whom had recovered and managed not to choke.

The red Zabrak just snorted before taking a bite of the peach... The moment the sweet taste of honey exploded into his mouth another memory surged to the forefront of his mind; vivid and erotic. The suddenness of it caused him to inhale sharply and choke on the Honey Peach.

"Karma never fails to show itself," Charra commented as she rubbed Savage' back while he recovered. "Shall I give you the Heimlich or are you gonna be alright?"

"Stay where you are." Maul stated as he recovered, not wanting the Jedi behind him regardless of her intentions.

Charra just raised an eye brow before taking a hold of her mate's wrist to take a bite of the peach; she smiled softly as she felt her mate's desire stir slightly. She chuckled inwardly before heading towards the weapon's rack; she could feel the eyes of the two brothers on her for entirely different reasons of course.

As she reached for the hilt of a sparring saber, she felt Maul tense and she rolled her eyes. She knew better; catch him by surprise once, it wouldn't happen a second time.

The slightly curved hilt of the chosen sparring saber felt familiar to her second saber. Although, when ignited the energy it gave off was altogether different, it didn't have that same kick a true saber had when first activated. And like she had told Bane, sparring sabers lacked the lethality of its counterpart and as the Bounty Hunter had learned it hurt getting tagged by it.

She felt the urge to show off a little; however Dooku's voice entered her mind. Something he had told her whenever she showboated during her apprentice.

 _"Showing off will only get you killed in a real battle."_ She was certain he had said something else, but his disapproving scowl had cowed her.

She gave herself a mental shake to clear her mind and find her center as activated the saber.

X X X

Maul watched the Jedi closely, not because he wanted to know her strengths and weaknesses, it was mainly her Behavior he wanted to observe. Since her ordeal with Husk, Charra had been... different, it was subtle but it was there if you knew what to look for. Savage didn't seem to see it perhaps that was for the best.

His little test with the Holocron last night had proven interesting. She had backed away from it as he knew she would, her eyes on the other hand betrayed her thanks to her Zygerrian blood.

Speaking of which, her reaction to him trying to help with Savage had also yielded interesting results. As to her performance in the cargo hold, it seemed it was her Jedi instincts he had to worry about but her Zygerrians. Thinking back to Quill's reaction to Husk's death, Maul had remembered just how willing to die the sniper had been in order to avenge her mate.

Charra; a Jedi and a Zygerrian had vowed to kill Savage in order to protect her mate from his own brother and his need for revenge. Maul wasn't sure if she'd follow through with her promise, he decided not to risk it just in case it wasn't a bluff.

However, revenge wasn't he currently on his mind; he had sensed something during his first meeting with Hush. Someone deeply entrenched in the Darkside, someone unfamiliar and no doubt dangerous. They were getting as far away as they could just in case this unfamiliar being turned out to be someone he knew and rather not fight.

They were avoiding Republic and Separatist space and heading towards wild uncharted space, they just needed to pass through Neutral space and avoid getting the attention of any Jedi skulking around in certain systems.

Despite going to Wild Space they would have a higher risk of running into Dooku and his dogs. It was nothing the three of them couldn't handle if the need called for it.

"Anyone feel like sparring with me?" Charra asked, drawing his attention back to the present just in time to see her take the stance of Form 2.

He stopped Savage by slightly raising a hand; he caught a brief but noticeable flash of irritation not just in her eyed but her body language as well. So it would seem she was only being friendly and a bit annoying because of Savage, were it only the two of them, Charra would just be as hostile towards him as she had been in the cargo hold.

"Sit this one out, apprentice," Charra's ears went back and he could almost hear the silent snarl. "I wish to have a go."

X X X

"This seems almost unfair." Charra stated as she and the two Night Brothers stepped outside the ship.

"How so?" Savage asked.

"I won the sparring match, Charra, whining about it isn't going to change that." Maul cut in.

Charra glared at the smug arrogant look on Maul's face.

"That wasn't what I meant, you ass," Maul was lucky Savage was standing between them. "My night vision gives me an almost unfair advantage over both of you."

Savage clearly wanted to say something dirty but he managed to control himself. However, thanks to the mating bond, Charra knew exactly what he wanted to say. She shook her head and rolled her eyes, she had a feeling this was only the start of the Zabrak using their bond in such a way.

Maul glanced up at the cloudy night sky for a moment. "The advantage will only be yours until the moon is free from the clouds."

"I'll be sure to enjoy my head start." Charra replied, giving Maul a little smirk.

The red Zabrak returned her smirk with a withering glare before turning said glare at Savage as the head start had been his idea. The yellow male was smart enough not to look at his irate brother.

"Watch your backs when in the forest, we're not the only ones out tonight." Charra cautioned before heading off towards the forest.

X X X

Savage accidentally scared a small animal from its hole, it scampered off into the undergrowth but not before hissing rather impressively at the Zabrak.

He had to force himself and return his saber back onto his belt before glancing up at the trees. His Jedi mate could be anywhere in the canopy, the only foot prints she had left were those that lead into the forest, the trail had ended where they had found her robe.

Charra had made the right choice by hiding in the trees, it gave her the advantage of height and a greater view of the forest. She would have the advantage and be able jump him were he to activate his saber, then again this was his mate and she wouldn't hurt him even with a lightsaber.

His gaze scanned the canopy again as he reached for his lightsaber, his fingers just grazed the cool metal of the hilt when he heard movement somewhere off to his left. Thanks to the moon light he saw said movement, someone or something had disturbed a large fern.

Savage smirked a little bit as he figured out her plan, part of it at least he would likely figure out the rest of it were he to play along for now.

He removed the hilt from his belt and simply held it, he wouldn't activate the blade just yet, not until he needed to. He gave a soft rumbling growl of anticipation before heading deeper into the forest.

X X X

From her vantage point in the trees, Charra watched as Savage headed in the direction where she had directed the Tree cat. The small predator would keep the Zabrak distracted long enough for her to work out a few issues, preferably with violence.

She placed a hand over the bite mark on her shoulder; she could almost feel Savage's teeth sinking into her flesh, marking her as his own as she had done with him.

 _I'm doing this for you, you big lug._ She thought before turning away to begin her search for Maul.

X X X

Maul knew he was being hunted and not by any native animal that prowled the forest. He knew they were there, he could feel their eyes on him as well as sense them through the Force. They were more curious then afraid, though it was that small amount of fear that kept them in the shadows.

The Zabrak ignored the creatures and turned attention up towards the canopy where he knew Charra was likely hiding and waiting to strike.

"I know you're out there, Charra," He hissed his sunburst eyes scanning the trees. "I don't know the Force to know that you're close."

He was greeted with silence, his eyes narrowed and he bared his teeth in a silent snarl before he whipped out his saber and ignited the blade.

The blade lit the small clearing around the male in an ominous red glow, at that same moment he felt the fear from the predators watching intensify upon seeing the red blade.

"Your move, Charra." Maul softly growl before prowling along the perimeter while he waited for the attack he knew was coming.

A slight hissing sound drew his attention towards his saber just as another droplet hit the blade, instantly evaporating with a soft hiss.

"Of course it starts raining." He huffed.

The rain would make it difficult to hear the Zygerrian when she finally attacks, he would still be able to sense her via the Force. Within several seconds, the steady pace at which the rain fell became a heavy downpour that showed no signs of stopping any time soon. Ignoring the downpour he reached out with the Force once more, feeling the minds of the small predators. They regarded him with wary curiosity, the creatures seemed to know that the Zabrak wasn't from here, he probably smelled different to them as well.

He felt their sudden fear moments before Maul felt the Zygerrian through the Force. He bared his teeth in a silent snarl as he spun around to block Charra's attack as she leaped from the canopy.

Their blades hissed and crackled upon connecting, this only last for a brief moment before the Zygerrian used her momentum to push off the red blade to land in a crouched position a few yards away.

"I suppose this means you've already fought Savage." Maul coolly stated as the Jedi rose to her feet and they proceeded to circle each other like the predators they were.

Charra smirked as she held her saber off to side while she circled the Zabrak, Maul no doubt would recognize the action as the saber form Makashi. "Savage is busy chasing his tail; he'll be busy for a while."

He wasn't giving a chance to respond as the female surged forward with the aid of the Force. Maul had expected for her to fight using Form two, she managed to surprise him by switching to Juyo at the last second.

Due to the sudden change in tactics, the Zabrak was forced on the defensive and judging by the power of her strikes, the Jedi wasn't holding back. She wanted to hurt him.

After exchanging blows and strikes, their blades locked for a moment that was all Maul needed to realize that he wasn't fighting a Jedi, he was fighting a Zygerrian. He broke the contact and barely managed to deflect and back handed strike that would have sliced open his chest if he hadn't. Luckily, the tip of Charra's blade grazed the surface of his collar.

"Clever." He growled as they once more started circling each other.

"Like that?" Charra smirked before returning Maul's growl. "Windu was teaching me Vaapad, I wasn't able to finish due to this little venture, but I get the gist of it!"

X X X

Savage huffed as he glanced around, he had lost track of his quarry and due to the rain, and his night vision was all but worthless. Growling softly, he scented the air in hopes of catching his mate's scent again. His eyes narrowed, under the smell of bark and mud was the same scent he had caught when the winds had changed during his pursuit of Charra.

Had he been chasing after one of the small predators thinking it was Charra the entire time? If that were true then his mate would be going after Maul...

Savage cursed softly, he knew that despite everything that has happened over the last couple months Charra still greatly disliked Maul. And should a fight break between them it would certainly end in disaster, especially if the Zygerrian side was in control.

Shaking his head, he turned around and headed back in the direction he had come, if he was fast enough maybe he could stop Charra and Maul from killing each other.

A low growl from the canopy above the Zabrak caught his attention, his hand on the low hanging branch he had been about to move. Blood pounding in his ears, Savage slowly turned his head towards the sound. He realized too late that this was a mistake... The moment his golden gaze lands on the spot where the sound originated from, a small but muscular body slams into him with a snarl.

X X X

Maul quickly noticed Charra appeared to be momentarily distracted; it was all he needed to attack the Zygerrian. With a hissing snarl, he unleashed a rather powerful Force Push that knocked Charra off her feet and flat onto her back.

He was on the Jedi before she had a chance to recover; he brought his saber down as though he was going to remove her head from her shoulders! In reality, the tip of the saber would have just landed beside her head, that would have happen had Charra not brought her blade up to block the attack, their blades locked in a cross section.

"Are you finished?" He hissed, his gold sunburst eyes locking with hers.

"Not even close." She hissed back.

Maul broke contact and jumped back when he felt a tingle in the Force seconds before Charra lashed out with it.

She was back on her feet in a matter of seconds thanks to her flexibility and Jedi training. Muddy water dripped from her clothes as she stood, her wet clingy clothes insinuating her form in doing so.

Despite her words, the Zabrak would see that Charra was weakening as her cold muddied leeched at her strength and body heat. The Jedi obviously was used to fighting in such conditions for a prolonged period of time. Not like him though, he was in his element thanks to his training under Sidious.

"Do you even know why sought you out instead of fooling around with Savage?" She asked, reactivating her saber.

"I suppose hating my guts have something to do with it?" Maul replied with a raised brow.

The Zygerrian's silver-green gaze hardened, ears folding back in growing rage. "That's just part of the reason!"

Maul was ready for the woman's last second technique change, that didn't seem to be the case this time. Charra wasn't using Makashi, Juyo, or any lightsaber combat technique that he was familiar with.

 _~Calm down,~_ The Jedi commanded after Charra cut down a tree in an attempt to decapitate Maul. _~Getting this angry and unbalanced isn't worth it.~_

Her Zygerrian snarled. _~Yes, it fucking is!~_

After several exchanges of power based saber strikes, Maul quickly came to the realization that she was slipping... His Sith training wanted him to take advantage of it. However, this was his brother's mate and despite being a Jedi and whether he liked it or not Charra was under his protection. Plus, giving what he had felt in the cargo bay, an unhinged Zygerrian Jedi would be dangerous for anyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh fuck... Charra is slipping...


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit keeps getting crazier...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. Being sick plus family drama means slow updates, I'll try to get back on track but no promises...

Savage groaned softly as he regained consciousness, the weird thing was he didn't remember getting knocked out. The last thing he did remember was getting tackled by a small furry body, everything after that was a jumbled mess of stars and mud. With a grunt, he pushed himself to his knees if only to get a look at his surroundings.

As he glanced around, he noticed that he was in a large pit of some kind and the only way out was a steep muddy incline that he had most likely cartwheeled down after being jumped.

_Where is my lightsaber?_ He wondered before spotting the large handle of his duel bladed saber a few feet away.

Once back on his feet, Savage lumbered over to collect the discarded weapon. Something slithered between his legs and over the large hilt as he reached down.

He jerked his hand back as if burned. _What the hell was that?!_

He took a few cautious steps back as his golden gaze dances around trying to get a lock on whatever had slithered between his legs. He quickly noticed that difference in water level and decided to avoid the deep end of the murky water of the pit.

The large Zabrak growled softly as he remembered that he could use the Force. Barely a heartbeat later, the dripping wet hilt of his weapon flew back into his waiting hand.

He shook his head, quickly decided to keep this to himself. Although, he was fairly certain that Charra would find this amusing, that was fine. Maul was another matter entirely; he doubted his brother would find it as amusing as his mate did.

He activated his weapon to make sure everything was in working order; the first blade ignited without application. The same couldn't be said for the second, it flickered and wouldn't fully extend to its full length something must have been knocked lose during his tumble.

Savage would need to deal with that later; right now he needed to get out of this damned pit and whatever was in there with him. His golden gaze drifted towards the muddy slope and his eyes narrowed as he wondered if he could climb his way out. It would certainly be a challenge due to the mud, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

X X X

Knocking Charra's blade out of her Maul forced the Zygerrian up against a tree and immobilized her with the help of the Force and twisting her arm behind her back.

"Enough, Charra." He growled, deciding to assert his dominance over the Zygerrian.

The Zygerrian returned his growl and glared at him over her shoulder. "Not on your life."

Movement in the Force catches Maul's attention, he pulls away from Charra and retreats just as a large jungle cat bursts from the undergrowth to stand between them, sharp spines along its back standing erect as it hissed and growled at Maul.

The Zabrak doesn't need to guess why the animal was attacking; it was obvious that Charra had called it to her aid through the Force. Maul growled softly, as the large cat paced in front of him, clearly waiting the moment to attack.

He glanced up at Charra whose saber was back in her possession but hadn't activated the blade.

"Call it off, Charra." He coolly said, returning his gaze back to the muscular beast in front of him.

The large beast growled its claws sinking into muddy ground as its tail lashed the air.

It shook it's head and snarled when Maul tried to deter it from attacking, but he couldn't get through Charra's hold on it the animal was amazingly strong. His attempt at control only served to anger the beast into attacking the Zabrak forcing the male on the defensive.

"Charra, call it off!" Maul snarled, dodging a clawed stripe from the beast.

He had no desire to kill the creature as it had been one of the minds he touched prior to Charra's arrival. The Zabrak respected this predator and didn't wish to snuff it out. He risked a glanced at the Jedi who had retrieved her saber and had a satisfied smirk on her face.

"Charra, this fight is between you and me, call the beast off." He ordered dodging to one side as the cat lunged at him.

"You never fight fair, so why should I?" The Zygerrian replied, igniting her saber.

Maul growled in irritation but didn't take his eyes off the blue-black beast as Charra circled; he kept an eye on the Zygerrian via the Force. He narrowed his eyes when he felt it, a dark brewing storm and its center was Charra; he had to end this now before she was lost.

Sensing that Maul was momentarily distracted, Charra urged the beast to attack the male it eagerly followed the order. It was on the Zabrak in two bounds, impaling itself on the red blade.

Thunder crashed as the beast roared in pain just as Charra fell to her knees, hands clutching either side of her head as she screamed in agony no doubt feeling the predator's pain via the link.

Charra broke the link between her and the dying animal less she follow it into death. Even without the link, she still felt the jungle cat expire through the force, at that same moment the realization of what she had done and the way she had accomplished the feat hit her like a bolt of lightning.

She stared wide eyed at the muddy wet ground, grateful that she had blocked her side of the bond from Savage so he wouldn't be able to sense what was going on with her. She didn't want him to know, she felt sick to her stomach and disgusted with herself. How could she have done that, use an innocent creature like it had been nothing more than a pawn?

She was no better than those she fought against...

"Are you done?" Maul asked with a slightly annoyed growl, standing within striking distance of the Jedi.

Charra's eyes flashed with anger and with a strangled yell she lunged forward with every intention of ripping out Maul's throat!

Maul easily avoided her feral attack; he moved to the side before grabbing her arm and twisted it behind her back, forcing her to knees with a cry of pain.

"Do I have your attention now, Zygerrian?" The Zabrak hissed, yellow eyes blazing.

Charra remained silent as she gazed at the limp body of the jungle cat, grief and shame sinking into her heart... She had used one of her gifts for evil purposes, something she had been taught since her days as a Youngling never to do.

"Now that I have your attention," Maul continued, voice a deadly whisper. "You will listen to every single work that I tell you."

Maul used the force to assert his dominance over the momentarily distraught woman before continuing. "You will regain control over yourself, you're a Jedi... Act like one!"

He silenced Charra's growl by placing a taloned foot between her shoulders before adding a bit of pressure.

Charra cried out as searing white hot pain lanced up her shoulder, claws of her free hand digging into the muddy ground. But she refused to give in by begging for mercy and for him to stop; she wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

Satisfied that he had made his point, Maul removed his foot from her back and spoke once more. "Consider that a warning for future disputes. You maybe Savage's mate but like him, you are under my command and I will not hesitate to show you your place."

He let go of her arm then stepped back just in case she decided to lash out again. "One more thing, this little feud we seem to have is over. It no longer matters and there's no point in pursuing it further."

Charra scoffed as she rolled her sore shoulder. "You're such a hypocrite, Maul."

Maul growled softly before replying, his voice deceptively calm. "Perhaps I am, but I haven't threatened to murder my own mate or use a creature to do my dirty work."

Charra flinched as if struck and she looked away, some of her anger deflating. She glanced back at Maul who was walking away from her.

"You're right; I said I'd kill Savage, but not to keep him from you. You're the only family he has left and vice versa," She stated before her eyes darkening a little. "I'd kill Savage to keep him from turning into you. A miserable, angry, hate filled creature who cries out at night begging for mercy from an unfeeling merciless monster."

Maul tensed as he halted, his hands forming into fists, for a moment Charra thought the Zabrak would lash out at her with the Force. Instead, he turned his burning sun burst gaze on her and hissed. "You don't know anything about me, Jedi."

"I think I do, Maul," Charra replied, much to her chagrin. "I know-"

The tattooed male spun around so quickly that she took a step back. She could feel the barely restrained fury coming off him in waves through the Force.

"What could you possibly know, you don't know ANYTHING!" He snarled, eyes blazing.

Charra swallowed, heart pounding. Despite the rage and anger she could almost hear the pain and fear that lay underneath it, drawing upon her Jedi compassion. "I-I know that you want to be free. Free of him. You are afraid of him, yet worship the very ground that he walks on. As any apprentice would, I was the same with Dooku."

That was definitely the wrong thing to say to an already agitated Maul.

"Don't you dare," His voice was a deadly velvety whisper. "Compare yourself to me."

Charra's Zygerrian temper got the better of her. "Oh, that's right... Dooku didn't take everything he hated about himself and redirect it at a frightened child who didn't know any better!"

She knew she was getting close to the point of no return and to the point where Maul's restraint broke and he would likely strangle her. Despite this possibility, the Zygerrian refused to back down once again proving the lack of self-preservation skills that all Jedi seemed to share.

"My master-" The moment Maul opened his mouth to possibly even defend his master's actions Charra didn't even think, she just walked up to the Zabrak and smacked him across the face.

"Don't!" She bristled as her ears folded back against her head. "Don't you dare defend what that bastard did to you! The bond between a Master and apprentice is beautiful and sacred, what he did-"

With a powerful Force Push, Maul slammed Charra into the tree again, thoroughly stunning the woman his hand wrapped around her throat before she had a chance to recover.

"I don't need a Lightsaber to kill you," Maul hissed as he ever so slightly increased the pressure on her throat. "I could just as easily kill you with my bare hands."

Charra fought her Zygerrian instincts to fight back to free herself. She had opened a wound in the Zabrak and made it worse by smacking him, now she had to fix it.

"K-Killing me will only prove one thing." She managed to say, she wouldn't be surprised if Maul could hear her pounding heart.

"Oh? And what would that be?" He growled bring her within inches of his face, he could smell her fear despite her calm composure.

The Jedi swallowed or tried to with his hand wrapped around her throat. "I-It will prove that his hold over you will be absolute and you'll never be free of him. Isn't that what you want... To be free?"

Some of the fire in Maul's sun burst eyes dissipated as he found himself saying. "It's not that easy..."

"Yes, it is. _Through Victory, my chains are broken_ ," The Zabrak's eyes widened upon hearing the Jedi recite part of the Sith mantra and his grip on her throat slackened. "F-From a certain point of view being cut down on Naboo was your victory, thus breaking your chains and freeing you from the one holding the other end."

Charra saw the spark of anger return as she reminded Maul of that day, it was a risk but she needed to get through to him. She took Maul's continued silence as a good sign, she had to tread carefully and not say the wrong thing.

"It's not that simple, Jedi," Maul repeated. "I never had a choice... The Darkside is all I've ever known..."

"You do now; you can reclaim what was stolen from you. What he denied you."

"How?"

With that one simple question, she could see the lost frightened child behind Maul's rage and bluster. And it once again tugged at her heart, her Jedi compassion overriding her Zygerrian temper. Unable to help herself, she reached up and placed a comforting hand on the wrist that held her by the throat.

"By walking away from it all; turn your back on him, his teachings, and the Sith. You were given a second chance by this Mother Talzin, use it to start again to start over. You are now your own master," Charra's voice was calm and soothing, it was as though she were trying to sooth a wounded and frightened animal. "If you continue down this path of self-destruction, you will forever be that lost and frightened child who doesn't know how to call out for help."

Maul's eyes darkened, his expression difficult to decipher as he continued to remain silent. After what felt like an eternity, he released her throat and turned to walk away. He seemed to know that Charra wanted to speak but he held up his hand to silence her before she could get going.

"Not now, we need to find Savage," His calm tone betraying nothing of what could be going on in his mind. "Something tells me he's gotten himself into some kind of trouble."

Charra managed a small chuckle before reaching out with the Force to call her lightsaber back to her hand and hooked it to her belt before following after Maul.

X X X

A snarl of frustration escaped from Savage' throat, he had been so close that time! The continuous downpour of rain wasn't helping the situation either, the water level was steadily rising and whatever was in the pit with him was growing bolder.

'The next it tries anything, I'm ripping it in half.' He growled.

"What is thus?" A familiar voice asked with an amused chuckle. "I thought my mate was a Zabrak, not a Puffer Pig."

Savage turned and looked up to see Charra standing near the edge of the pit. He felt a weight lifted from his shoulders as he saw that aside from being muddy and a bit ragged looking she appeared to be in good spirits.

Maul had his appearance a little bit later, he looked better off than his mate did. If Savage had to venture a guess, his brother had won the duel against his mate.

"How did you manage this, Savage?" Maul asked, eyes glittering with interest.

The large male shrugged. "I got jumped."

The other raised an eye brow. "By what?"

"Doesn't matter now, we need to get him out of this hole." Charra cut in.

"What do you have in mind?" Maul asked, glanced at her.

"Climbing out is pointless as is jumping out, the silt at the bottom will make that difficult," Charra coolly stated. "Perhaps there's a rope in the Cargo Hold we could use."

After a moment, Maul spoke up. "I'll search the Cargo Hold, you stay here and look for a way to pull him out."

He didn't wait for a response as he sprinted off towards the woods and back to the ship.

Charra turned her attention from the spot where Maul had disappeared back towards her mud splattered mate. "What jumped you exactly?"

"Six medium sized jungle cats." Savage replied quickly.

The Zygerrian raised an amused eye brow, she knew the Zabrak was trying to save face she's witnessed Anakin do countless times. She decided to take the high ground and not bruise his fragile male ego.

She gave the pit a searching look before walking along the outer perimeter looking for any spots that could help when Maul returned with the rope. She paused when she reached a noticeable dip, she then turned her attention towards Savage who was watching and waiting patiently.

"This dip will make it easier to pull you out of this hole." She announced after a moment past.

"That won't work." Savage replied.

Charra tilted her head in a very feline like way. "Any reason why?"

The large man gestured towards the water before speaking. "There's something in the deep end of the pit, it's getting bolder as the water continues to rise."

She glanced down towards the water looking deep in thought for a long moment before walking back around towards the shallow side of the pit.

"Let me try something." She stated as she neared the edge of the pit.

"What are you-" Savage started when Charra's Comm. given to her by Maul after he had destroyed hers after they had first met.

_"Charra!"_ It was Maul and he didn't sound too happy. _"Tell your damn Droid to lower the ramp and let me inside!"_

She rolled her eyes. "Alright, hold on." She cut off Maul's angry muttering in order to contact the little Astro-mech.

"TC, it's me. Can you be a dear and lower the ramp for Maul?" The jedi raised an eye brow at the series of beeps and whistles. "He's not going to steal the ship, Maul simply wants inside the Cargo Hold for a bit."

She glanced at Savage as TC-9 rattled off another series of bleeps and whistles; she could feel her mate's growing unease about the creature in the pit with him.

"If you're that worried, go hide once you lower the ramp," She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "The faster you lower the ramp, the faster I'll be able to return to the ship."

TC gave a wary whistle but did as asked.

_"It's about time!"_ Maul snarled over the Comms. after the ramp was lowered.

Charra shook her head and deactivated her communicator. "By the stars, it's like dealing with kits." She muttered before turning his attention towards her mate.

"Now, where was I? Oh, right." With very little finesse, the Zygerrian hopped into the pit with her mate.

"Charra, what are you doing?" Savage asked once his mate righted herself.

"Helping you, I thought that was obvious." She replied, giving his shoulder a little pat.

"I can see that, but- wait, what are you doing?!" The Zabrak exclaimed, taking a hold of her arm when she headed for the deep end.

Charra inwardly sighed as she felt the male's panic seep into the bond. She took a moment before turning to look at her mate; despite her annoyance she understood his concern. Barely 24hrs ago they had become full-fledged mates and the urge to protect was new and very strong.

"Savage," She placed a tender hand in the side of his face, smiling softly as he leaned into it. "You need to trust me on this, please."

After a long tense moment, the Zabrak released her arm only to notice the seam at the shoulder of her tunic was torn and stained with a bit of blood.

"What happened?" The rumbling growl held the promise of a painful death on the person who had hurt her.

"Oh, that?" Charra replied, thinking quickly. "I fell out of a tree trying to ambush Maul."

She knew full well that it had happened when she had been at Maul's mercy with his foot pressing into her back.

Savage raised an eye brow. "You fell out of a tree?"

She just shrugged. "Hey, I'm just as surprised you are, but we can worry about my lack of balance later."

The Zabrak exhaled sharply through his nose he watched Charra approach the deepest part of the pit. He tensed when she crouched near the edge before lightly tapping the surface with a finger, causing a soft anxious growl to escape as the ripples caused by his mate drew the attention of the creature.

"Charra..." He hissed as the creature revealed itself, the urge to pull her back using the force made his claws itch.

"Shh." She replied as the serpent like creature rose to be at eye level with her, its forked tongue tasting the air.

The girth of the serpent was impressive, it was at least twice the size of Savage' entire arm. Its head was equally impressive, it could probably break a rib or two were it to swing its head around like a club.

A loud threatening hiss escaped from the serpent, part of its neck flattened and expanded creating a barbed circular hood around its head. The coloring of the animal had also changed; it was no longer a dull brown with black ventral bands but a vibrant green and gold.

Venom dripped from large eight inch fangs as its red eyes locked on Charra's hand that hovered within striking distance.

"Don't move." The Zygerrian coolly commanded her agitated mate without taking her eyes off the creature.

"I'm not just going to stand here and let you-" Savage started, hearts pounding his gaze darting from the serpent to his mate.

"Please shut up, if I break contact now, she will attack." She cut in, keeping her voice calm.

Charra could feel her mate's growing anxiety over the bond, she ignored it in order to focus on the serpent. Centering herself, she reached out with the Force and gently probed the creature's mind, not forcing her will on the animal like she had done with the jungle cat.

_'Protect the den. Protect my eggs._ ' Was the only thing on the serpent's mind.

Charra filled the serpent's mind with calm non-threatening thoughts, letting the creature know they weren't a threat and would leave her alone once free of the pit.

X X X

After a long tense moment, the serpent closed its mouth, its barbed hood, and reverted back to its dull brown and black coloring. It tasted the air one more time before slipping back into the water.

Charra remained crouched for a moment longer before rising to her feet, a small smile on her face. Pleased with herself, she turned around only to quickly find herself being pressed into the broad chest of her mate and wrapped in a near bone breaking hug.

"S-Savage, I kind of need my lungs back," She grunted before noticing that the large man was trembling, it quickly caught her attention. "Savage?"

"Never again..." Savage rasped.

"I'm sorry?"

The large man released her from his near crushing embrace, gripped her upper arms, and forced her to meet his gaze. Charra was taken aback by the sheer intensity of the golden orbs.

"Never again, Charra. Do you understand me?"

Charra blinked, confused. "Savage, I don't-"

His deep rumbling growl cut her off, stunning the woman into silence, and looking away from her mate's burning stare. She felt like a Padawan again; a Padawan being scolded for screwing up.

Satisfied with her submissive posture, Savage released her arms before walking back towards the muddy incline.

Charra had to fight back the urge to argue, she was far too cold, wet, and worn out to start a fight let alone finish one. Sighing softly, she followed after the Zabrak like a good little Pada- no... Like the good little mate that she was.

Her Zygerrian growled softly in annoyance but remained silent as she came up to stand beside the male.

"So... What's the plan?" Charra asked as she crossed her arms, trying not to shiver thanks to her wet clothing.

"Maul won't be able to pull us both out of this hole on his own," Savage replied without looking at her as he studied of the walls of the pit. "I'll give you a boost out of this hole."

"A boost?" She echoed with a raised brow. "What kind of boost?"

She got her answer when he knelt down to one knee with his long fingers interlocked. She quickly understood what Savage wanted and put one foot into his hands, a hand on his shoulder to steady herself then gave him a curt nod, letting him know she was ready.

With little to no effort, Savage lifted Charra just high enough for her to pull herself out the rest of the way. Once she was out, he glanced back to where the serpent had vanished.

"She's no longer a threat if that's what you're thinking." Charra stated, catching his attention.

Savage gave her a curious look. "You know this how?"

"She and I came to a... Understanding. As long as you stay away from her den you'll be fine." She replied then looked over her shoulder when she heard a twig snap.

"Charra, that droid of yours is all but useless!" Maul was back and he was agitated as ever.

She didn't take the bait she wasn't in the mood to get into a verbal sparring match with Maul, enough was said tonight.

X X X

Pulling Savage out of the pit wasn't an easy feat, the wet muddy ground made thing difficult. Maul seemed to be having an easier time then Charra due to his bird feet.

"Charra, get behind me and pick the slack." Maul huffed with minor annoyance after the third time the Jedi slipped and fell on her ass.

After picking herself up from the ground, Charra took the Zabrak's place in the back and picked up what was left of the rope coil. Once she had enough of it, she looped it over one shoulder freeing both hands and making it easier to help Maul.

Speaking of making things easier, Charra's eyes fell on his back and her heart skipped a beat when the idea of striking the red and black male down crossed her mind. She glanced down at the saber hilt clipped to her belt it would be so easy to activate the blade and cut Maul down, he would never see it coming...

She lifted her gaze back towards Maul's back only to lock eyes with Savage just as his crowned head peered over the lip of the pit. The moment their eyes locked, Charra heard her own words from before echo in her mind.

_"You are the only family Savage has left and vice versa..."_

Any thoughts of killing Maul vanished from her mind as she remembered the haunted look on her mate's face when he told her about Feral.

_"You're a Jedi, act like one!"_

The Zygerrian never thought she'd take advice from a fallen Sith Lord but Maul was right, she was a Jedi and she needed to act like one again. She started by digging her heels into the mud to hold the majority of the weight so Maul could help Savage over the lip of the pit.

"We're leaving this planet tomorrow, I'm already sick of this world and it's Month of Darkness." Maul growled.

Charra couldn't agree more as she gathered up the rope, Savage decided to be difficult by not untying the rope from around his waist. In fact, he had moved the knot so it was behind him and the only way she could untie him was to wrap her arms around his waist.

_***Does this mean you're no longer mad at me?***_ Charra asked over the bond as she got to work untying her cheeky mate.

_***I was never angry with you,***_ Savage replied, enjoying the feel of his mate pressed up against him. _***I was worried, yes, but I wasn't angry. What exactly did you do to keep the serpent from attacking?***_

_***An underrated Force ability that Dooku deemed pointless and all together useless- Did you double knot this?***_ She rolled her eyes when she felt her mate's smugness over the bond.

X X X

The way back was silent save for the light pattering of rain and sounds of various nocturnal animals. Charra was lagging behind the two males, not because she was tired and worn out she simply needed to think on how she could regain her center and return to the path she had strayed from.

Her eyes fell towards her lightsaber again and she inwardly sighed, she didn't deserve to have this weapon not after her recent behavior. As this enters her mind, she glances up at Maul who was a few yards ahead of her, confident as ever as he strode along the path. The more she watched him, she couldn't help but imagine the Zabrak as a Jedi, he would certainly make a better one then she was currently being.

The sound of the ramp lowering drew her attention and she smiled softly when she spotted TC-9 at the top of said ramp quietly waiting for them. Her gaze softens as she sees Savage give TC's domed head a little pat, causing the little mech to beep and whistle happily.

She waited until Savage was out of sight before approaching Maul, coming to a decision at the last second.

"Maul."

The Zabrak paused half way up the ramp and glances at her over his shoulder, he says nothing other than rising an eye brow.

Without saying a word, Charra removed her saber from her belt and held it out for Maul to take.

The tattooed male gave her saber a long look before walking down the ramp to take the weapon from the Zygerrian. He admires the sleep silver and black metal of the hilt before glancing back at the female.

There's a snap hiss as he ignites the saber; purple blade glowing like a beacon in the darkness. Maul admired the purple hue for a moment before extinguishing the saber; his sun burst colored eyes locked with Charra's silver-green ones before holding out the hilt.

"Control it," Maul states and continues when given a confused look. "Use this blade as an anchor to regain control over that side of you."


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A change in tactics and a brief glimpse into Charra's past.

_"Use this blade as an anchor to regain control of that side you."_

Charra opened her eyes, putting an end to her meditation as Maul's words echoed in her mind. What had he meant by using the Lightsaber as her anchor?

Most if not all non-Force Sensitive beings believed that a Jedi's saber was nothing more than a weapon, in truth it was so much more than that. The lightsaber was alive in a way due to the Kyber Crystals that resided in all of them; it was the heart of the weapon. It was the Crystal that chose the welder, was that what Maul meant; use the Crystal as her anchor?

Charra glanced down at the hilt lying in front of her before reached down to pick up. This saber was actually her second saber; the first had been destroyed during the mission with the Rancor. Which lead to her injuries and an entire month in a Bacta Tank, then having to see Dooku's infamous disapproving scowl for a solid week as she regained her strength before heading to Ilum for another Crystal.

She hadn't even bothered checking the color of the Crystal after she had snagged it from its perch. If she had and told Dooku about it, she could avoided the stares from the other Padawans and Masters, she had already drawn plenty with her antics with the Rancor, she didn't need more due to the color of her second blade.

She had still been a padawan learner, her blade should not have been purple, and a large majority of saber blades were blue or green and occasionally yellow-orange in Plo-Koon's case. So why had her blade been purple, was it because she was a Zygerrian.

Not even Dooku knew what it meant and he was a seasoned Jedi Master. Mace Windu on the hand seemed to know and understand what this meant but he had remained silent as he and Dooku weren't exactly friendly with one another.

The dark skinned man had approached her a few months after Dooku's departure due to the death of Qui-Gon at the hands of Darth Maul.

A small part of Charra still felt that Dooku leaving only a few weeks after her Knighted spoiled the entire enlightening experience. Then reminded herself that Obi-Wan was getting the short end of it as his apprenticeship had been cut short because of Qui-Gon's death and stuck with training a Padawan before he was even ready for one.

She chose to help Obi-Wan with his new padawan, saying it would be practice when she got her own, it was partly true. In return, Kenobi and his new Padawan would accompany her on diplomatic missions as no one trusted a Zygerrian even one that was a Jedi.

As Charra gazed at the cool metal of her Saber hilt, she remembered that Mace had planned on taking her as his apprentice for he had seen something in her that would make the Zygerrian a suitable candidate for his teaching style. It certainly explained why the dark skinned human had watched her all throughout the girl's apprenticeship. At the time, the Padawan Learner had just figured that the Master was curious and wanted to see how her training was coming along; he had done the same with other Padawan's as well. But Windu's dark eyes always returned to her, looking back now, it made sense why he had watched her as she trained under Dooku.

The older Jedi didn't see the underlying darkness in his Padawan; if he did see it then Dooku must have believed that training and discipline would temper the violent and dark nature of his student's Zygerrian blood.

It had worked for a time, but Dooku's unexpected leave of the Order had caused a hairline fracture in her restraint and control to emerge. That fracture extended upon learning of her former Master's turn to the Darkside, making her more susceptible to her darker almost bestial nature.

With a snap hiss, Charra's purple blade burst to life, the glow of the blade made her eyes appear lavender. As she gazed at the blade, she wondered if she would have had more control over that side of her if Mace had been her Master. The human male was a known practitioner of form 7 and even invented Vaapad, he had to dapple in the darkside in order to do so but he had mastered it and made it his own.

 _~There is no point in dwelling on what could have been, focus on the now,~_ Her Jedi coolly commented. _~Focus on repairing the cracks before the trickle becomes of a flood.~_

Charra shook her head and extinguished the purple blade, she doubted Dooku's old teachings would help in regaining control of her wilder more violent nature.

 _Perhaps,_ she mused as she gazed at nothing in particular. _It's time for a change in tactics._

 _~Careful on how you approach this,~_ Her Jedi cautioned. _~If you are not...~_

 _~Yeah, yeah,~_ The Zygerrian cut in with a slightly annoyed huff. _~Darkside, death and destruction. The works.~_

With a soft grunt, she clipped her saber to her belt before exiting her quarters, nearly tripping over TC-9 in the process.

"TC-9, you know I hate it when you do that." Charra chided.

The astro-mech bleeped an apology, his dome head spinning a complete 180° before letting off a series of beeps and whistles.

Charra chuckled softly. "Yes, I'll give you an oil bath, TC. Later though, I need to speak to Maul."

The Droid let out a series of happy beeps and whistles even going as far as rocking from side to side on its stabilizers before rolling off at high speeds.

The woman gave a soft snort of amusement before heading for the Cargo hold where she knew Maul and Savage would be. She glanced out one of the windows just in time to see the exit from Hyperspace; she then took a moment to admire the vast emptiness of space before continuing on.

X X X

As predicted, she found the two Zabraks sitting in the center of the Hold. They pair appeared to be in the middle of a Meditation session, however hearing Savage's all too familiar snores said otherwise. She also didn't need the Force to know that Maul was annoyed.

"Meditation isn't for everyone." Charra commented as she walked towards the red and black male.

Maul's only response was a small huff of annoyance, but didn't object when the Jedi sat across from him.

Charra glanced at Savage, she could feel Maul's eyes on her and she knew she would have to word this carefully as Maul tended to get rather prickly when she questioned him about Savage's training. When she turned her attention back to Maul, he was watching her closely with a guarded expression.

"... Savage is having trouble repairing his lightsaber, I'd like to help but he is your apprentice and I'd rather not step on your toes, so to speak."

Maul quirked a tattooed brow. "That hasn't stopped you before; I don't see why it would stop you now."

"True, but I need to respect the fact that you are his Master and rudely butting in isn't appropriate." She had to stop herself and gather her thoughts before she started rambling like an idiot.

Maul remained silent, wanting to see where the Jedi was taking this. His expression was still guarded but with a hint of minor curiosity.

"If... It's alright with you; I'd like to help Savage with his Lightsaber. I'm sure it's the same basic concept just executed differently." She scratched the back of her head, feeling a little out of her depth.

"You've never had an apprentice, have you?" Maul coolly stated after a long pregnant silence.

"Nope, apparently I'm scary," Charra replied without missing a beat. "The only kit who would come near me was Anakin. However, that might have been because of my friendship with Obi-Wan."

Maul's gaze hardened a fraction but other than that his expression and body language remained unchanged.

"Anyway," Charra commented quickly changing the subject. "If the repairs for Savage' lightsaber involves poking him with a stick, I'm all for it."

The red male snorted softly in amusement. "I don't think that will be necessary, Savage wasn't trained at a young age as I was. I will need to go about his training in a different way."

She noticed how Maul phrased his statement but decided not to comment about it, instead she rose to her feet intending to leave, any intention of broaching the subject she had come to see Maul about all but gone.

"Let me know if I can help." Charra glanced at her still sleeping mate; she smiled a little before heading for the door.

"If you help me, Charra," Maul prompted before she could get too far. "I'll help you with your... Problem."

Charra paused before looking over her shoulder, an eye brow raised. "My problem?"

"Don't play coy with me, Charra. You know exactly what I'm talking about and I'm certain Savage does as well."

The Zygerrian's ears folded back against her head as her silver-green gaze danced over towards her Mate and sighed, she didn't bother denying it further. "It was that obvious?"

Maul gave her a look one of his eye brows raised before speaking. "You just spent the last 8 hours meditating after being unusually quiet the last 24 once you returned from the woods smelling of dirt, wet fur, and dried blood."

Charra's eyes darkened and she glanced away; she could still smell that Jungle cat's fur and blood on her hands. She knew that Maul had followed her after having snuck off to bury the creature she had killed, he may have masked his Force Signature but he couldn't mask his scent.

Maul matched her closely before commenting. "How is that Dooku never taught you to control that side of you?"

She shrugged with a sigh, looking back at the male. "I think he believed that training and discipline would temper it. However, his leaving then betrayal fractured my control."

"Your master had clearly been unqualified to train you despite his decades of experience."

Her eyes flashed in anger but it was brief, Charra knew Maul was right. Despite Dooku's vast knowledge and experience he shouldn't have been her master, even thought they had gotten along well during their time together as Master and Apprentice.

The Zabrak gestured for the woman to return, after a moment of hesitation Charra returned to her spot and sat back down. Maul opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it.

"Say I agree to this, what do you get out of it?"

Maul's eyes glittered. "As we are sharing the same space-"

"If you're suggesting that we should _start_ getting along, you've gone off the deep end," She cut in with a snort of amusement then leaned forward, voice firm. "Tell you what, if you stop beating around the bush and simply tell me what you want, I won't try to kill you anymore and I will watch your back. On my honor as a Jedi."

Maul seemed to find that amusing and smirked slightly. "Are you giving me your loyalty?"

"I wouldn't go that far and I believe we've already established a hierarchy," Charra countered, having no desire to fight Maul again, at least not for a while. "If anything, you have my trust."

"Fair enough, having your trust will suffice for the time being." He replied with a small nod and sounding rather cryptic.

"Why do I have the feeling I'm going to regret this?"

"As long as you don't cross me like that again, you have nothing to worry about," Maul replied rolling his shoulders before continuing. "Now, shall we address the issue of your more violent side?"

Charra 'tched' once before speaking a soft growl escaping her. "If your suggesting that I try to make peace with it and find some happy medium, it won't work I have tried."

"You cannot approach this with the mindset of a Jedi," Maul replied all business now. "You will need to approach something of this nature as you did with Husk."

She raised an eye brow. "I'm not sure I follow, I challenged Husk to a fist fight. Are you suggesting that I look into the abyss and roar a challenge?" She regretted saying the words moment they left her mouth.

The Zabrak gave her a long searching look before replying. "You're not quite ready for that just yet, one step at a time."

X X X

Charra knew that Maul wasn't going to hold her hand for this little exercise only be her anchor, a fixed point so she could find her way back. Next time, she would be her own or ask Savage.

She could sense the other male was close by but she couldn't see him, it made the fur along her shoulders stand on end.

 _"Stay focused and get moving,"_ Echoed Maul's familiar growl. _"I do not want to stay like this longer then I have to."_

She huffed softly, although she felt the same way... Having someone like Maul at the edge of her mind with her barriers down... She'd rather think about it. If he felt her unease, he chooses not to comment and remained a silent constant shadow at the edge of her mind.

As instructed prior to this little adventure, Charra avoided opening any doors that would hamper the exercise.

According to Maul, she would have to access a memory where the Dark Side however brief had entirely consumed her. Once that was accomplished, getting Charra's darker half to submit would come next. Fun.

As one specific memory sprang to mind, a Clone Trooper materialized a few feet away. He was wearing typical Clone armor with dark gray slash marks on his upper arms and thighs. He also looked like every other clone; same tanned skin tone, same dark hair styled into a shaved flat top. The only noticeable difference were the eyes, all the clones had various shades of brown eyes. This Clone had one brown eye and one blue.

"Doyle..." Charra murmured, her heart aching at the sight of the man.

Her reaction drew Maul's attention, he didn't need to ask. It was obvious that this man was more than just a soldier under her command.

 _"Does Savage know?"_ He asked, keeping his tone neutral.

The woman was silent for a long moment. "I... I haven't even thought about Doyle in nearly three years... What does that say about me?"

Maul said nothing for several seconds. _"You can worry about that some other time, we need to get moving. Find the memory and lose yourself in it."_

Charra didn't hide her annoyance but it didn't last, her gaze returned to the Clone one last time before continuing forwards with glancing back at the Trooper.

X X X

Charra paused when the sound of blaster fire and the familiar smell of smoke on top of the clamoring voices of several Clone Troopers. She stepped out of the dark pathways of her mind and onto the battlefield...

_Her nose wrinkled as the smoke stung her nostrils and she waved away the offending scent._

_"This is going to make things harder." She softly growled._

_"The Clankers started the fire to throw us off, but they screwed themselves." Her second in command commented as he stood beside his general._

_The Zygerrian general snorted softly in amusement before speaking. "While we're on the subject, what is the situation on the blaze?"_

_"Raze and Tats believe that with the wind change, the fire won't be a problem. Worst case scenario, minor smoke inhalation."_

_"Let's try to avoid that if possible. Keep me posted, Dax."_

_"Of course, General. We should head for higher ground to get ahead of the smoke." Dax coolly stated._

_"My thoughts exactly, Commander. Move out."_

_Dax nodded and gave the order before putting his helmet on to take the lead._

_Charra watched her Commander take the lead only to jump slightly when someone gave her ass a little squeeze. "You could get court-martialed for that you know."_

_"Ah, you'd miss me too much." Sub-commander Doyle cheekily replied before wrapping his arms around the Jedi's waist, resting his head in the center of her back._

_She purred softly, enjoying the moment before pulling out of his grip and turning to face the man._

_"I'll see you tonight." She commented, stooping down in order to kiss the shorter man, ignoring the playful cat calls and wolf whistles from passing Clones._

_She reluctantly end the kiss before things got too carried away, they had mated twice that same morning. As tempting as it would be to have another go, they had work to do._

_"Think we got time for quickie, General?" Doyle smirked as though reading her mind._

_Charra snorted in amusement, pushing back her own desire as she scented his. He seemed to know this as he pressed into her, his hand reaching out to stroke her heat through the fabric._

_"Save it for tonight," She breathed, taking a step back from his touch. "We have to get moving if we are to meet with Kenobi at the rendezvous."_

_"Fair enough, General. Though I doubt you can resist me for long as I will be thinking of you... In various positions." Doyle replied as he headed to join his brothers._

_"Keep that up and I WILL have you court-martialed." She replied through narrowed eyes, though her tone lacked any true threat._

_"HA! I'll bring the cuffs." He winked at her before putting his helmet on._

_She shook her head and softly chuckled before reaching up to scratch her left ear._

_**"Watch yourself out there, Doyle."** _ _She stated, using her private line._

_**"I always am, Charra. I'll see you after this is over."** _

X X X

_**"General, you're needed up front."** _ _Dax commented over the Comm._

_"I'll be right there." Charra commented before making her way towards the front._

_Her eyes narrowed when the scent of fresh blood and burnt hair. The sight that greeted her wasn't what she had been expecting; a body maybe but not splatters of dark blood and what looked like a chunk of bone. She caught her second's eye even though his helm was still on._

_"I hate to see what is on the other end of this blood." Doyle commented standing next to a Shiny named Sparrow._

_Charra remained silent as she reached out with the force in order to see if she could sense the injured party._

_"They're in the forest," She commented as she lowered her hand. "I'm going to check it out. Dax, stay with the group."_

_"Yes, General. Sparrow, go with the General." Dax replied._

_Even with his Helmet on, Sparrow looked nervous and Doyle trying to put him at ease didn't help._

_"Ah, don't worry, kid," Doyle grinned as he gave the Shiny a playful nudge. "The General will look after ya."_

_Sparrow glanced at the Zygerrian General and nodded shakily before standing next to her._

_"I want radio silence unless it's absolutely necessary to break it," Charra ordered. "Find cover and stay hidden until we return."_

_Doyle and Dax saluted in response before moving the troops off the path and into the undergrowth opposite Charra and Sparrow._

X X X

_Charra crouched down to check the foot prints of what was clearly a wounded animal; she didn't see any claw indentations which meant they could be on the trail of a large wounded herbivore._

_"Speak your mind, Sparrow." She commented without looking up._

_Sparrow jumped at being suddenly addressed by the General and stammered. "I-I shouldn't... It-it's not my place, sir... I mean Ma'am... General."_

_She chuckled softly, he was certainly still a new recruit, unsure of himself, and jumpy around his general. "I'm giving you permission to speak your mind."_

_He was silent for a moment before getting the courage to speak again. "I-I know I haven't been under your command very long... But I couldn't help but notice that you and Sub-Commander Doyle are... Together."_

_"Yes, Doyle and I are together," Charra replied sounding a little distracted as she looked closer at the foot print. "We help each other after unwind after campaigns."_

_"Oh, ok. The reason I asked is because I heard that Jedi... Couldn't form attachments or... Something along those lines."_

_The general growled softly making Sparrow step away worried that he had overstepped, and upset her. When in reality, she only growled because she couldn't remember what these print belonged to, it was on the tip of her tongue! When she finally spoke, her voice was cool and level._

_"It is true that ad a Jedi, I cannot form attachments. However, with the war going on, a little rule breaking isn't going to hurt anyone." Sparrow seemed to relax and her level tone as he glanced ahead of them, he didn't need to be told where they would be heading. Not with the trampled undergrowth and large splatters of blood giving itself away._

_"This way, our quarry isn't sentient but is wounded and suffering. Once we catch up to it, we'll put it out of its misery." Charra replied as she rose to her feet._

_Sparrow nodded and continued as he followed her. "And the men are ok with the two of you being together?"_

_She smiled softly. "At first they weren't sure what to make of it... Mainly due to my Zygerrian reputation."_

_Sparrow tilted his head in confusion. "Your what?"_

_"Oh, I guess you hadn't heard this story yet-"_

_**"Probe droids!"** _ _Dax shouted over the Comms._

_"How many?" Charra was all business now._

_**"Two, Chase managed to take one of them out."** _

_The general cursed softly. "I'll be there as fast as I can. Find or make cover."_

_**"Yes, General!"** _

_"Are we heading back?" Sparrow asked as the Jedi deactivated her com-link._

_She didn't respond as she reached out with the Force, searching for the wounded animal. She learned that the creature was a Reek, she had seen one only once back on Geonosis. Tough beast but direct hit with a blaster had put it down._

_It's pain hit her like a runaway speeder, the large herbivore was riddled with wounds from blaster fire but the source of its agony and causing it to bleed heavily was a barbed spear lodged in the animal's side, blood filling it's lungs. It was slowly drowning in its own blood._

_"General? We need to head back." Sparrow's voice sounded distant._

_Charra gave the Clone a distracted nod as she raised her hand to focus her energy; she gritted her teeth moments before her hand snapped into a fist. She shuddered as she heard and felt the snap of the Reek's neck; she shook her head as she swayed, grateful for Sparrow catching her when she nearly collapsed._

_"General, are you alright?" Sparrow asked voice tinged with worry._

_"I'm-I'm alright," She replied, giving her head another shake before rising to her full height. "Let's go."_

X X X

_Charra drew out her light saber and activated the purple blade as she charged the enemy, cutting down four battle droids before whipping out a second saber. The green blade matching it's purple colored counterpart blow for blow as their owner cut down battle droids and deflected blaster fire, drawing attention to herself and making it easier for her men to recover and fire back._

_The skirmish lasted only a few minutes and ended when Charra cut down the last B2 Super-battle droid with a back handed diagonal strike, slicing the droid in half from shoulder to hip. The general deactivated her blades and hooked them back onto her belt before it slid apart and crumbled to the ground._

_"Status report," Charra commanded, getting down to business. "Any one wounded?"_

_"A few scrapes and a sprained wrist. Ridge tried to punch a Clanker." A medic named Patch replied, rolling his eyes._

_"What? I thought it would work." Ridge countered with a huff._

_Charra chuckled and shook her head; she waited until her men were back on their feet before leading them another half mile before coming across a secluded yet easily definable location._

_"We will rest here for ten minutes before continuing to the rendezvous. I'll keep a look out."_

_Taking a pair of binoculars with her, the Zygerrian headed for a tree for a better view of their surroundings. As this happened, everything seemed to lose focus and fade as Charra tried to pull out of the memory._

"Keep going," Maul hissed. "I sense we are getting close."

"I-I can't," She whispered, not bothering to hide her fear. "I can't relive that again..."

"You must, if this is to work you must relieve it. All of it." The Zabrak's voice was firm but oddly gentle.

After a long tense moment, Charra relented and the memory stabilized and continued without further complications.

_With a bit of help from the Force, Charra leaped into the tree and onto a sturdy branch high up before peering through the binoculars. She saw no immediate threat; only the gaps in the smaller trees and the dirt road they would continue to travel along once her men were well rested._

_**"If you're looking for anything interesting, you're in the wrong direction."** _ _Doyle's voice filtered through her private Comm._

_Charra smiled softly, not bothering to look down at the man standing at the base of the tree. "You should be resting, Doyle."_

_**"You know I can only rest when I'm snuggled up against you, mainly after a good romp."** _

_She could almost hear the grin in his voice. "Go rest, Doyle. And yes, that is an order."_

_**"As you wish, MY General. However, just so you know I will be sending dirty thoughts your way."** _

_"Force, help me, anything but that." She replied in mock terror._

_Doyle chuckled before deactivating transmission and headed back towards his brothers._

_"So insufferable." Charra commented good naturally, as she lowered the instrument from her eyes she glanced over at the Soldiers resting a few yards from the tree._

_She felt a surge of affection for those under command; they had kept her sane and grounded in the chaotic shit show that was the Clone Wars. In return, she had done for them by being their safe harbor in rough seas. She wasn't just their general; she was their protector coming to the aid of her men at a moment's notice. Due to this fierce devotion, Charra almost never lost a soldier._

_Should a man fall, she would write down their name- not their number but the name they gave themselves, she would honor the memory of her men with some kind of tribute. For the moment the list was short but it would likely grow before this wars end._

_Doyle's familiar barking laugh broke Charra from her semi dark musings. She smiled softly as she remembered when he had approached her after a rather trying and difficult battle despite the careful planning._

_She had saved the Sub-Commander and three others from Grievous when he had made one of his rare appearances. She bought them time to escape by taking on the cybernetic General alone. She managed to hold her own for a bit, however she had underestimated his craftiness and ended being thrown around like a rag doll. Not one of her finest moments._

_She managed to get a little payback by crushing his knee using the Force and drive him off with a little help from the same four men she had rescued earlier._

_After that, things simply fell into place and she never regretted it. She had something that was solely hers, someone to help her forget the horrors of war, it was temporary but it took the edge off and kept them sane._

_Charra gazed fondly at her Trooper for a moment longer before returning her attention back to the binoculars, scanning the tops of trees and surrounding area._

_Her eyes narrowed when she saw movement in the trees, hadn't not been for the scopes she would have seem it. She adjusted the sharpness and growled softly when she saw them. Without taking her eyes off them, she contacted Dax._

_"We've got Commando Droids in-coming." She calmly stated._

_"How many and much time do we have?" Dax replied just as calm._

_"I see at least three and we have at least eight minutes. You have two minutes to pack up and leave."_

_"And you, General? Where will you be?"_

_"Buying you time, I'll catch up when I'm done. Keep heading for the rendezvous point."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clones need love too!


End file.
